Description

GEO1_MW identifies the household's region of residence within Malawi in the 2006 through 2019 MICS surveys. Regions in Malawi are groups of districts. Districts are the primary level of geography in Malawi.

The first three digits of GEO1_MW provide the country code; the last three digits specify the geographic unit within the country. Leading zeros are used when the geographical unit within the country requires less than a three-digit code. Other geography variables for Malawi include GEO1_MW2006, GEO1_MW2013, and GEO1_MW2019.

A GIS map (in shapefile format) corresponding to GEO1_MW is available on the GIS Boundary files page. The full set of geography variables for all MICS samples and countries can be found at IPUMS MICS Geography.

Comparability

The geographic units identified in the 2006, 2013, and 2019 surveys have different spatial footprints. GEO1_MW units have been harmonized to provide spatially consistent boundaries across survey years. The full original detail is retained in GEO1_MW2006, which provides the codes and boundaries for 2006, GEO1_MW2013, which provides codes and boundaries for 2013, and GEO1_MW2019, which provides codes and boundaries for 2019.

For 2019: 31 districts were grouped into three regions:

• North: Chitipa, Karonga, Nkhata Bay, Rumphi, Mzimba, Likoma, Mzuzu City
• Central: Kasungu, Nkhotakota, Ntchisi, Dowa, Salima, Lilongwe, Mchinji, Dedza, Ntcheu, Lilongwe City
• South: Mangochi, Machinga, Zomba, Chiradzulu, Blantyre, Mwanza, Thyolo, Mulanje, Phalombe, Chikhwawa, Nsanje, Balaka, Neno, Zomba City, Blantyre City

Universe

Availability

• Malawi: 2006, 2013, 2019