World Map › Africa › Malawi
Country
Map of Malawi
Africa · Lilongwe
Malawi spans the African and Somali plates. Since 1900, 3 major earthquakes have been recorded, causing at least 13 deaths. Its natural and humanitarian risk index (INFORM) is 4.7 out of 10, a medium level.
- Capital
- Lilongwe
- Population
- 17,563,749
- Area
- 118,484 km²
- Continent
- Africa
Tectonic Plates
Natural Hazards
INFORM index by the European Commission, from 0 (very low) to 10 (very high), for each type of hazard.
People Exposed Each Year
- 41,147to strong shaking (intensity VI and above)
- 28,494to river floods
Risk Index Over Time
Hazard Levels
Hazard level assessed by ThinkHazard! (World Bank, GFDRR), meaning the likelihood of a damaging event, from very low to high.
- River FloodHigh
- Urban FloodHigh
- VolcanoHigh
- Extreme HeatHigh
- WildfireHigh
- EarthquakeMedium
- LandslideMedium
- CycloneMedium
- Water ScarcityLow
Volcanoes
No volcano active over the last 10,000 years is recorded in this country.
Major Earthquakes Since 1900
Earthquakes that caused deaths or significant damage, or of magnitude 7.5 and above (NOAA).
Deadliest
- 1989Salima, Dedza, Mohinji · M 6.19 deaths
- 2009Karonga · M 6.03 deaths
- 2009Karonga · M 5.91 deaths
Tropical Cyclones
4 major tropical cyclones have made landfall in Malawi since 1950. The deadliest and most powerful are listed below.
- 2019Cyclone Idai · 46 km/h558 deaths
- 2023Cyclone Freddy · 56 km/h
- 2002Tropical Storm Delfina · 46 km/h
- 2022Cyclone Gombe · 37 km/h
Sources : Natural Earth · Wikidata · INFORM Risk Index (1 September 2026 v 0.7.3), Commission européenne, CC BY 4.0 · NOAA NCEI · ThinkHazard!, GFDRR, CC BY · Bird (2003), PB2002 · Global Volcanism Program, Smithsonian Institution