Malawi vs Sierra Leone: Urban population
Malawi
3.91 million
in 2025
Sierra Leone
4.05 million
in 2025
Malawi rank
114th
Sierra Leone rank
113th
Urban population over time
- Malawi
- Sierra Leone
How they compare
Sierra Leone currently reports 4.05 million against 3.91 million in Malawi, a difference of 141,730.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 66 shared years of data; in 1960 it was Sierra Leone ahead.
Malawi ranks 114th and Sierra Leone ranks 113th of 218 countries.
Sierra Leone has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Malawi | Sierra Leone | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 186,870 | 498,552 | 311,682 | Sierra Leone |
| 1970s | 396,808 | 809,521 | 412,712 | Sierra Leone |
| 1980s | 770,168 | 1.16 million | 385,792 | Sierra Leone |
| 1990s | 1.37 million | 1.45 million | 78,740 | Sierra Leone |
| 2000s | 1.92 million | 1.97 million | 48,562 | Sierra Leone |
| 2010s | 2.67 million | 2.83 million | 164,615 | Sierra Leone |
| 2020s | 3.53 million | 3.73 million | 204,608 | Sierra Leone |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher urban population, Malawi or Sierra Leone?
- Sierra Leone, at 4.05 million against 3.91 million in Malawi as of 2025.
- What is the difference in urban population between Malawi and Sierra Leone?
- 141,730, with Sierra Leone ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Malawi and Sierra Leone?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do Malawi and Sierra Leone rank globally for urban population?
- Malawi ranks 114th and Sierra Leone ranks 113th of 218 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as Urban 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. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.