Views are mixed on whether to make contraceptives available regardless of people’s age and marital status.
Witness Tapani Alfonso and Dennis Samuel Chikoko
11 Mar 2026
Malawi has made significant strides in promoting sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and improving maternal health (Ibrahim-Nyirenda, 2024; United Nations Population Fund, 2024). For example, according to the National Statistical Office (2024), modern contraceptive use increased (from 53% to 66% for married women aged 15-49) between 2016 and 2024, and maternal mortality declined from 439 to 224 deaths per 100,000 live births. The fertility rate among women aged 15-49 dropped from 4.4 to 3.7 children per woman over the same period.
Despite these achievements, Malawi continues to grapple with significant SRHR issues, especially among the youth. Challenges range from early sexual debut and early marriage to gender-based violence and high rates of teenage pregnancy, school leaving, and abortion complications leading to maternal deaths (Latif, 2020). Among female and male adolescents who are sexually active, only 15% and 31%, respectively, use contraceptive methods (Alan Guttmacher Institute, 2005), and about one-third (32%) of young women aged 15-19 have had a pregnancy, an increase from 29% in 2016 (National Statistical Office, 2024).