Malawi vs Sri Lanka: Population
Malawi
21.10 million people
in 2023
Sri Lanka
22.97 million people
in 2023
Malawi rank
62nd
Sri Lanka rank
61st
Population over time
- Malawi
- Sri Lanka
How they compare
Sri Lanka currently reports 22.97 million people against 21.10 million people in Malawi, a difference of 1.87 million people.
That makes Sri Lanka's figure about 1.1 times Malawi's.
Across all 74 years both countries report, Sri Lanka has been ahead every year.
Malawi ranks 62nd and Sri Lanka ranks 61st of 236 countries.
Sri Lanka has averaged higher in every one of the 8 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Malawi | Sri Lanka | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 3.23 million people | 8.57 million people | 5.34 million people | Sri Lanka |
| 1960s | 4.06 million people | 10.81 million people | 6.75 million people | Sri Lanka |
| 1970s | 5.26 million people | 13.43 million people | 8.17 million people | Sri Lanka |
| 1980s | 7.57 million people | 15.56 million people | 7.99 million people | Sri Lanka |
| 1990s | 10.29 million people | 17.51 million people | 7.22 million people | Sri Lanka |
| 2000s | 12.75 million people | 20.12 million people | 7.37 million people | Sri Lanka |
| 2010s | 16.88 million people | 21.64 million people | 4.75 million people | Sri Lanka |
| 2020s | 20.31 million people | 22.77 million people | 2.45 million people | Sri Lanka |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher population, Malawi or Sri Lanka?
- Sri Lanka, at 22.97 million people against 21.10 million people in Malawi as of 2023.
- What is the difference in population between Malawi and Sri Lanka?
- 1.87 million people, with Sri Lanka ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Malawi and Sri Lanka?
- 74 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2023.
- How do Malawi and Sri Lanka rank globally for population?
- Malawi ranks 62nd and Sri Lanka ranks 61st of 236 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Population. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
The total population, measured on 1 July of the year shown.