Refugees in Malawi

Overall objectives

The Government of Malawi does not currently have the right data to provide national services to the refugee population in Malawi. Incorporating forcibly displaced persons into the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) 2024 and the Integrated Household Survey (IHS) 2024/25 will allow for targeted and evidence-based action on the Government’s pledge to include refugees in the National Development Agenda. The data collected from this survey will also inform the programs and initiatives of UNHCR, WFP and the World Bank for refugees and allow for direct comparison of socioeconomic outcomes of refugees and hosts.

Activity description

This activity aims to facilitate the integration of refugees into the Malawi DHS and IHS.

DHS

In the past, the DHS systematically excluded refugees from its sampling frame. The expansion of the DHS 2024 to refugees will provide comprehensive and comparable data on fundamental demographic, health, and nutrition indicators for this vulnerable population. The DHS is an essential and trusted data source that the government draws on for evidence-based decision making, using the data to track health, education and other indicators, particularly those related to the Sustainable Development Goals.

IHS

A refugee domain will be added to the IHS6 2024/25 forms part of the main IHS survey for Malawi. This will allow for the collection of disaggregated data on forcibly displaced populations on basic needs and living conditions, as well as livelihoods and economic self-reliance. This includes data on poverty levels.

 With financial and technical support from the JDC, Dzaleka camp will be included as a representative domain in the DHS and the IHS, complementing the existing survey domains which represent all districts in the country. In line with sampling allocations for other domains in the respective surveys, the “booster sample” for Dzaleka will be 1030 households for the DHS and 384 households for the IHS.

Engagement with partners

UNHCR Malawi, UNHCR Regional Bureau for Southern Africa, National Statistical Office of Malawi.

Background and Context

Malawi has hosted refugees since the 1980s when the country hosted over one million refugees who fled the war in Mozambique. Currently, the country has one refugee camp called Dzaleka camp, which is located in Dowa district, 41 kilometres away from the capital city, Lilongwe. The total number of refugees and asylum seekers in Malawi is close to 60,000, the vast majority of which reside in Dzaleka. The government of Malawi has pledged during the 2019 Global Refugee Forum (GRF) to implement policy and legislative reforms that facilitate refugees’ access to services to enhance their economic capacity and self-reliance. This includes integrating refugees into the national development plans across sectors such as health, education, WASH, and security.