Malawi

Demographics

Estimated Total Population:

18.1 million

World Bank, 2018

Estimated SGM Population:

N/A

N/A

Estimated Total SGM Adult Population:

N/A

N/A

Estimated % of SGM Adults (18+):

N/A

N/A

While exact numbers for the SGM population of Malawi are not available, a recent report has estimated that 3.5% of Malawians over the age of 16 identify themselves as homosexual, bisexual, transgender or intersex (The Other Foundation, 2019). In general, research into SGM health in Malawi is sparse, something that can at least partially be attributed to the intense discrimination faced by LGBT Malawians, a discrimination both culturally (colonial in origin), politically and religiously perpetuated.

Malawi's Laws and Policies from ILGA World Report (2019)

RECOGNITION
Marriage for Same-Sex Couples
No
Civil Unions
No
Joint Adoption
No
Second Parent Adoption
No
PROTECTION
Employment Nondiscrimination Laws
No
Broad Protections
No
Criminalization of Violence
No
Ban of Conversion Therapy
No
CRIMINALIZATION
Consensual Same-Sex Acts are Legal?
No
Gender
Any Gender
Max Penalty (Yrs in Prison)
14

Selected Published Studies, Reports, and Other Documents

Angotti, N., McKay, T., Robinson, R.S.; Lgbt Visibility and Anti-Gay Backlash: Unintended Consequences of Responses to HIV/AIDS in Malawi and Senegal. Sociology of Development 1 March 2019; 5 (1): 71–90. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/sod.2019.5.1.71

Currier, A., & McKay, T. (2017). Pursuing social justice through public health: Gender and sexual diversity activism in Malawi. Critical African Studies9(1), 71-90. DOI:10.1080/21681392.2017.1283637

Kapanda, L., Jumbe, V., Izugbara, C.et al.Healthcare providers’ attitudes towards care for men who have sex with men (MSM) in Malawi. BMC Health Serv Res19, 316 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-019-4104-3

Mwakasungula, U. (2013). The LGBT situation in Malawi: An activist perspective. In Lennox C. & Waites M. (Eds.), Human Rights, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in The Commonwealth (pp. 359-380). London: University of London Press. doi:10.2307/j.ctv512st2.17

The Other Foundation (2019). Under Wraps - a Survey of Public Attitudes to Homosexuality and Gender Non-Conformity in Malawi. http://theotherfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Other-Foundation-Malawi-Paper-v7.pdf