Religion in Malawi

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Religion in Malawi (2020 estimate[1])

  Christianity (79.3%)
  Islam (14%)
  Traditional faiths (5.9%)
  None (0.5%)
  Others (0.3%)
St. Helen's Cathedral in Livingstonia

Christianity is the most widely professed religion in Malawi, with significant populations of the adherents of Islam and traditional faiths.[2] Religious pluralism is both a prominent social value and enshrined in the country's constitution.[3]

Malawi is a secular state. The Christian festivals of Christmas and Good Friday are recognised as the national holidays.

Demographics

Presbyterian denominations like the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Malawi and the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Malawi. There are also smaller numbers of Anglicans, Baptists, evangelicals, Seventh-day Adventists, and the Lutherans.[5]

Most of the Muslim population is

Hanafi groups.[6][7]

Other religious groups within the country include

Hindus, Baháʼís, (0.23%[8]) and a small number of Jews and Sikhs;[6] atheists
make up around 2% of the population.

Legal status

The constitution of Malawi prohibits discrimination based on religion and provides for freedom of conscience, religion, belief, and thought.[6] It also specifies that eliminating religious intolerance is a goal of education in Malawi.

Religious instruction is mandatory in public primary schools, with no opt-out provision, and is available as an elective in public secondary schools. In some schools, the religious curriculum is a Christian-oriented “Bible knowledge” course, while in others it is an interfaith “moral and religious education” course drawing from the Christian, Islamic, Hindu, and Baháʼí faiths. According to the law, local school management committees, elected at parent-teacher association meetings, decide on which religious curriculum to use. Private Christian and Islamic schools offer religious instruction in their respective faiths. Hybrid “grant-aided” schools are managed by private, usually religious, institutions, but their teaching staffs are paid by the government. In exchange for this financial support, the government chooses a significant portion of the students who attend. At grant-aided schools, a board appointed by the school's operators decides whether the “Bible knowledge” or the “moral and religious education” curriculum will be used.[6]

Muslim children who wish to wear a hijab.[6]

In 2007, it was noted that

Hindu faiths regularly engage in business and civil society together.[3]

Religious freedom

In 2023, the country was scored 4 out of 4 for religious freedom.[9]

See also

References

  1. ^ World Religion Database on the ARDA website, retrieved 2023-08-08
  2. ^ a b c "Demographic and Health Survey: 2015–2016" (PDF). Malawi National Statistical Office. p. 36. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  3. ^ a b "Malawi". International Religious Freedom Report 2007. U.S. Department of State. 14 September 2007. Retrieved 18 December 2008.
  4. ^ World Religion Database on the ARDA website, retrieved 2023-08-08
  5. ^ "Lutheran Church of Central Africa - Malawi". Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference. Archived from the original on 11 January 2017.
  6. ^ a b c d e "US State Dept 2022 report on Malawi". International Religious Freedom Report 2022. U.S. Department of State. 14 September 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  7. ISBN 9780929692739
    . Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  8. ^ The ARDA website, retrieved 2023-08-08
  9. ^ Freedom House website, retrieved 2023-08-08
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