Malawi vs Sri Lanka: Urban population (% of total population)
Malawi
17.6%
in 2025
Sri Lanka
20.5%
in 2025
Malawi rank
215th
Sri Lanka rank
213th
Urban population (% of total population) over time
- Malawi
- Sri Lanka
How they compare
Sri Lanka currently reports 20.5% against 17.6% in Malawi, a difference of 2.9%.
That makes Sri Lanka's figure about 1.2 times Malawi's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 66 shared years of data; in 1960 it was Sri Lanka ahead.
Malawi ranks 215th and Sri Lanka ranks 213th of 218 countries.
Sri Lanka has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Malawi | Sri Lanka | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 4.6% | 19.7% | 15.1% | Sri Lanka |
| 1970s | 7.5% | 22.2% | 14.7% | Sri Lanka |
| 1980s | 10.1% | 20.3% | 10.2% | Sri Lanka |
| 1990s | 13.3% | 16.2% | 2.9% | Sri Lanka |
| 2000s | 15.1% | 15.3% | 0.2% | Sri Lanka |
| 2010s | 15.8% | 18.6% | 2.8% | Sri Lanka |
| 2020s | 16.9% | 20.1% | 3.2% | Sri Lanka |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher urban population, Malawi or Sri Lanka?
- Sri Lanka, at 20.5% against 17.6% in Malawi as of 2025.
- What is the difference in urban population between Malawi and Sri Lanka?
- 2.9%, with Sri Lanka ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Malawi and Sri Lanka?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do Malawi and Sri Lanka rank globally for urban population?
- Malawi ranks 215th and Sri Lanka ranks 213th of 218 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as Urban population (% of total population). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. The data are collected and smoothed by United Nations Population Division.