MALAWI
A. THE COUNTRY
The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa.
Malawi has a democratic, multiparty government. It is densely populated
with little development, cycles of drought/heavy rainfall and soil
exhaustion. Being heavily dependent on agriculture, there is
vulnerability to global markets and local weather. Foreign aid boosting
the high levels of national debt, HIV/AIDS and unemployment are serious
challenges.
B. THE PEOPLE
The population is ~16,000,000 and official languages Chichewa and English.
~97.2% are Bantu peoples, ~2.8% Other (South Asian, many migrant African
peoples en route to South Africa).
C. RELIGIONS AND CHRISTIANITY/PENTECOSTALISM
The various confessions of Christianity and Islam as well as smaller
faiths co-exist peacefully.
~76% claim to be Christian, ~16.9% Muslim, ~6.5% Ethnoreligionist, and
Non-religious/Hindu/Baha’i are each ~0.2%.
In the Christian category:
~29.47% are Protestant, ~23.06% Catholic, ~13.8% Unaffiliated, ~6.83%
Independent, ~1.78% Anglican, <0.01% Orthodox.
Evangelicals represent ~19.6% of the population.
Charismatics represent ~12.5% and of those ~7.9% are Pentecostals.
Donna Siemens
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org
Operation World, Jason Mandryk. Colorado Springs: Biblica Publishing, 2010.