Malawi Country Code

The country code for Malawi is +265. Dial it after your country’s international access prefix (for example 011 from the US), then the local number.

+265

Calling Code

20.7M

Population

118.5K km²

Area (km²)

Malawian Kwacha

MWK

Quick Facts

Republic of Malawi

Malawi

Africa Eastern Africa

Coat of arms

Basic Information

Calling Code +265

ISO Codes MW / MWI

Capital Lilongwe

Independent Yes

Demographics

Population 20.7M

Area 118.5K km²

Languages English, Chewa

Driving Side left

Geography & Time

Region Africa

Subregion Eastern Africa

Continent Africa

Time Zones UTC+02:00

Currency

Malawian Kwacha (MWK)

Borders

3 countries

Neighboring countries

Mozambique Tanzania Zambia

How to Call Malawi

From Any Country:

 +265 [Local Phone Number]

Example:

+265 1 123 456

(Example: Calling Lilongwe, Malawi from anywhere in the world)

How do I dial mobiles vs landlines in Malawi

Malawi’s calling code is +265, and calls made from Malawi to other countries use the international access code 00. Malawi’s national numbering plan includes 7-digit geographic fixed-line numbers (commonly shown as +265 1 xxx xxx) and 9-digit numbers for mobile and other non-geographic services (commonly shown as +265 88x xxx xxx or +265 99x xxx xxx depending on the operator range). Because Malawi doesn’t work with “city area codes” in the way many countries do, the most important thing for callers is to dial the full national number you were given.

In practice, Malawian mobile numbers are often written locally with a leading 0 (for example 088… or 099…). When calling from abroad, you should drop any leading 0 and dial +265 followed by the remaining digits (e.g., 088 1xx xxxx → +265 88 1xx xxxx). Malawi has also introduced +265 31… for TNM VoIP/non-SIM services, which can appear alongside TNM’s well-known +265 88… SIM ranges.

What are the emergency numbers in Malawi

Police 990 or 997, Ambulance 998, Fire 999. (UK travel advice notes emergency numbers can be unreliable—ask your hotel/local contacts for alternatives in the area.)

What are the city and area codes in Malawi

Dialing tip: For Malawi, teach users “dial the full number (and add +265 internationally)” rather than “find the city area code.”

City	Area Code	International Dialing Format
Malawi (fixed/geographic lines — not city-coded)	No city area codes (often 1xxxxxx ranges)	+265 1 XXX XXX
Malawi (other geographic/fixed operator ranges)	21xxxxxxx / 22xxxxxxx (operator allocations)	+265 21XXX XXXX / +265 22XXX XXXX

Which mobile prefixes do mobile operators use in Malawi

Malawi mobile/non-geographic services use operator ranges. Below are the most commonly encountered ones.

Mobile Operator	Dialing Prefixes
TNM (Telekom Networks Malawi)	88… (SIM services), 31… (VoIP/non-SIM)
Airtel Malawi	99…
Other allocations (fixed/other services)	21… / 22… / 77… etc.