Malawi vs Nigeria: Share of urban population who live in the largest city
Malawi
6.7%
in 2020
Nigeria
7.0%
in 2020
Malawi rank
173rd
Nigeria rank
172nd
Share of urban population who live in the largest city over time
- Malawi
- Nigeria
How they compare
Nigeria currently reports 7.0% against 6.7% in Malawi, a difference of 0.3%.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 9 shared years of data; in 1980 it was Nigeria ahead.
Malawi ranks 173rd and Nigeria ranks 172nd of 179 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, Malawi averaged higher in 4 and Nigeria in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Malawi | Nigeria | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 7.8% | 6.9% | 0.9% | Malawi |
| 1990s | 10.0% | 8.1% | 1.9% | Malawi |
| 2000s | 10.9% | 8.0% | 2.8% | Malawi |
| 2010s | 8.2% | 7.4% | 0.8% | Malawi |
| 2020s | 6.7% | 7.0% | 0.3% | Nigeria |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of urban population who live in the largest city, Malawi or Nigeria?
- Nigeria, at 7.0% against 6.7% in Malawi as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of urban population who live in the largest city between Malawi and Nigeria?
- 0.3%, with Nigeria ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Malawi and Nigeria?
- 9 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2020.
- How do Malawi and Nigeria rank globally for share of urban population who live in the largest city?
- Malawi ranks 173rd and Nigeria ranks 172nd of 179 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of urban population who live in the largest city. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Percentage of the urban population living in the country's largest city (by population). City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.