According to the National Planning Commission (NPC) says Malawi is poised to attain a middle income status in the next 15 years if it manages population growth.

NPC director general Thomas Chataghalala Munthali told The Nation newspapers that evidence shows that Malawi would be a middle income economy with a person earning $1 000 [K760 000] from less than $400 by 2035 if population was growing at replacement levels or basically having around two children per woman.

Figures from 2018 population statistics, show that the population has grown by 35% since 2008, resulting into a total population of 17, 563 749. The results show that the most populated regions seem to be those that are mostly commercial, namely Lilongwe, Blantyre and Mangochi which register 2.6 million, 1.3 million and 1.1 million respectively. However Munthali says that there is no one figure that can define the right population, having population growing more than the economy can provide for is a huge challenge for the country.