Malawi vs Zambia: Share of children, working-age adults, and older people
Malawi
8.72 million people
in 2023
Zambia
8.69 million people
in 2023
Malawi rank
47th
Zambia rank
48th
Share of children, working-age adults, and older people over time
- Malawi
- Zambia
How they compare
Malawi currently reports 8.72 million people against 8.69 million people in Zambia, a difference of 24,780 people.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 74 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Malawi ahead.
Malawi ranks 47th and Zambia ranks 48th of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Malawi averaged higher in 7 and Zambia in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Malawi | Zambia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 1.42 million people | 1.21 million people | 213,355 people | Malawi |
| 1960s | 1.76 million people | 1.71 million people | 52,375 people | Malawi |
| 1970s | 2.37 million people | 2.40 million people | 36,595 people | Zambia |
| 1980s | 3.43 million people | 3.27 million people | 157,079 people | Malawi |
| 1990s | 4.73 million people | 4.20 million people | 528,670 people | Malawi |
| 2000s | 5.88 million people | 5.48 million people | 393,936 people | Malawi |
| 2010s | 7.64 million people | 7.30 million people | 336,995 people | Malawi |
| 2020s | 8.57 million people | 8.48 million people | 94,882 people | Malawi |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of children, working-age adults, and older people, Malawi or Zambia?
- Malawi, at 8.72 million people against 8.69 million people in Zambia as of 2023.
- What is the difference in share of children, working-age adults, and older people between Malawi and Zambia?
- 24,780 people, with Malawi ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Malawi and Zambia?
- 74 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2023.
- How do Malawi and Zambia rank globally for share of children, working-age adults, and older people?
- Malawi ranks 47th and Zambia ranks 48th of 236 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Share of children, working-age adults, and older people. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Total population, measured on 1 July of the year shown. This only includes people aged 0-14.