Urban population (% of total population) in Malawi
Malawi: Urban population (% of total population) was 17.6% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Urban population in Malawi, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 17.6% for urban population in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.9% on the previous year and up 11.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Malawi peaked at 17.6% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 4.0%, in 1960.
Malawi ranks 215th of 218 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Urban population (% of total population) in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 4.0% | — |
| 1961 | 4.1% | +2.3% |
| 1962 | 4.2% | +2.4% |
| 1963 | 4.3% | +2.5% |
| 1964 | 4.5% | +2.5% |
| 1965 | 4.6% | +2.6% |
| 1966 | 4.7% | +2.6% |
| 1967 | 4.8% | +3.4% |
| 1968 | 5.1% | +4.9% |
| 1969 | 5.4% | +5.9% |
| 1970 | 5.7% | +6.5% |
| 1971 | 6.1% | +6.8% |
| 1972 | 6.5% | +6.7% |
| 1973 | 7.0% | +6.4% |
| 1974 | 7.4% | +5.9% |
| 1975 | 7.8% | +5.3% |
| 1976 | 8.1% | +4.6% |
| 1977 | 8.4% | +3.8% |
| 1978 | 8.7% | +3.1% |
| 1979 | 8.9% | +2.7% |
| 1980 | 9.1% | +2.4% |
| 1981 | 9.3% | +2.2% |
| 1982 | 9.5% | +2.1% |
| 1983 | 9.7% | +2.1% |
| 1984 | 9.9% | +2.1% |
| 1985 | 10.1% | +2.1% |
| 1986 | 10.4% | +2.2% |
| 1987 | 10.6% | +2.4% |
| 1988 | 10.9% | +2.7% |
| 1989 | 11.2% | +3.1% |
| 1990 | 11.6% | +3.4% |
| 1991 | 12.0% | +3.5% |
| 1992 | 12.4% | +3.5% |
| 1993 | 12.9% | +3.3% |
| 1994 | 13.3% | +3.1% |
| 1995 | 13.6% | +2.8% |
| 1996 | 14.0% | +2.4% |
| 1997 | 14.2% | +1.9% |
| 1998 | 14.4% | +1.4% |
| 1999 | 14.6% | +0.9% |
| 2000 | 14.7% | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 14.8% | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 14.9% | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 15.0% | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 15.0% | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 15.1% | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 15.2% | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 15.2% | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 15.3% | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 15.4% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 15.5% | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 15.6% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 15.6% | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 15.7% | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 15.8% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 15.8% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 15.9% | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 16.0% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 16.0% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 16.1% | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 16.3% | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 16.5% | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 16.7% | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 17.0% | +1.6% |
| 2024 | 17.3% | +1.7% |
| 2025 | 17.6% | +1.9% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 17.6% is below the median for low income countries, which is 34.5%, 51% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 17.6% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 44.9%, 39% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 4.6% | 4.0% | 5.4% | 10 |
| 1970s | 7.5% | 5.7% | 8.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 10.1% | 9.1% | 11.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 13.3% | 11.6% | 14.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.1% | 14.7% | 15.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.8% | 15.5% | 16.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.9% | 16.3% | 17.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More climate change data for Malawi
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 415.04 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 4,106 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 1,605 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2,501 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 6.06 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 89.31 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 3,185 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,819 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 366.56 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 10.64 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Malawi?
- Urban population in Malawi was 17.6% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 17.6% in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.0% in 1960.
- How does Malawi rank for urban population?
- Malawi ranks 215th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.