One popular nickname for Malawi is The Warm Heart of Africa reflecting the friendliness of Malawians. Tragically, Malawi has also earned the moniker The Orphan Nation due to the million children who have lost their families as a result of the HIV/Aids pandemic.
Research website numbeo lacks sufficient data to rank Malawi’s capital on its comprehensive global quality of life rating which benchmarks 250 cities worldwide. Numbeo does evaluate Lilongwe on several individual factors. For instance, Lilongwe’s health care index score is the off-the-charts worst while its pollution score ranks in the bottom 10%. On the positive side, Lilongwe rates among the 2% fastest for traffic commute time and in the top 6% for climate.
Malawi was recognized by the Guinness World Records as an African nation where Meller’s chameleon lives, the world’s most prolific egg-laying lizard. Meller’s chameleon is a large species of chameleon that can lay a single clutch of up to 80 eggs.
Landmarks in Lilongwe range from the King’s African Rifles War Memorial and Bingu National Stadium for soccer, to the National Assembly building and the Bingu International Conference Center.
From an international trade perspective, Malawi exported an estimated US$913 million worth of products around the globe in 2019. Its most valuable exports include tobacco (54.6% of Malawi’s global total), sugar (9.4%), tea (8.8%), groundnuts (4.4%), shelled dried leguminous vegetables (4.3%), miscellaneous nuts (3.4%), solid residues including oilcake (2.4%), soya beans (1.9%), wood fiberboard (0.5%), and uncombed cotton (also 0.5%) according to the International Trade Centre.
Capital Facts for Lilongwe, Malawi: Quick Reference
Famous People
Below, you will find 10 of the most famous people born in Lilongwe, Malawi.
- Lazarus Chakwera, opposition leader (born Apr. 5, 1955)
- Tam Nsaliwa, soccer player/footballer (born Jan. 28, 1982)
- Kid Acne, hip hop musician & artist (born 1978)
- Tawonga Chimodzi, soccer player/footballer (born Jun. 26, 1988)
- Maupo Msowoya, soccer player/footballer (born May 14, 1982)
- Lucia Chandamale, Olympic long-distance runner (born Jun. 18, 1988)
- John Banda, soccer player/footballer (born Aug. 20, 1993)
- Drake Thadzi (aka Nightmare), Olympic boxer (born Nov. 23, 1960)
- Hellings Mwakasungula, soccer player/footballer (born May 5, 1980)
- Elvis Kafoteka, soccer player/footballer (born Jan. 17, 1978)
Note: Data for our Famous People tab was sourced from Google searches mostly targeting published Wikipedia articles specific to each person’s name.
Population
Demonym for a Lilongwe resident: Malawian
Population: 1,121,720 (Lilongwe) at September 1, 2020
Density: 3,992 people per square mile (1,541 per square kilometer)
Population: 19,218,635 (Malawi) at September 1, 2020
Density: 526 people per square mile (203 per square kilometer)
Median age for all Malawi: 18.1 years old
Financial
GDP: US$25.167 billion in 2019 (Malawi)
GDP per person: $1,240
Note: The above country-level GDP metrics are on a Purchasing Power Parity basis and are in U.S. dollars. Credible city GDP statistics for Lilongwe were unavailable.
Official currency used in Lilongwe: Malawian kwacha
Geography
Capital landmarks: Lilongwe Wildlife Centre, Kumbali Cultural Village, Parliament Building, Nature Sanctuary and the Maula Cathedral
Research
Research Sources:
Brookings Institution, Global Metro Monitor Report (includes GDP data).
Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook Africa: Malawi.
Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, Field Listing: Major Urban Areas.
Cherry Call, 17 Lovely Facts About Lilongwe.
CityMetric, Where are largest cities in the world? 2015 edition.
Demographia, World Urban Area, 12th Annual Edition.
Face of Malawi, Opatsidwa: Official Malawi Government Online.
Guinness World Records, Most prolific egg-laying lizard.
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Databases.
International Trade Centre, Trade Map.
Numbeo, Quality of Life Index by City.
Wikimedia Commons, City Flags.
Note: Some city flags were unavailable. If so, attribution belongs to Wikimedia Commons for pertinent country flags.
Wikipedia, Lilongwe.
Wikipedia, Malawi.
WorldOMeter, Malawi Population.
World Population Review, Lilongwe Population.
Malawians celebrate Labour Day each May 1, Freedom Day on June 14 and Republic Day on July 6.
Lilongwe’s land area measures 281 square miles (727.79 square kilometers) and is home to 1.1 million dwellers in September 2020.
At the country level, Malawi’s land area covers 36,402 square miles (94,280 square kilometers).
Population density is more concentrated within Malawi’s capital city Lilongwe, averaging 3,992 residents per square mile (1,541 per square kilometer).
Zooming out to national land boundaries, Malawi’s population density drops to an average 526 Malawians per square mile (203 per square kilometer).
