Malawi vs Zambia: Population (Our World)
Malawi
21.10 million
in 2023
Zambia
20.72 million
in 2023
Malawi rank
63rd
Zambia rank
64th
Population (Our World) over time
- Malawi
- Zambia
How they compare
Malawi currently reports 21.10 million against 20.72 million in Zambia, a difference of 380,500.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 241 shared years of data; in 1000 it was Malawi ahead.
Malawi ranks 63rd and Zambia ranks 64th of 239 countries.
Malawi has averaged higher in every one of the 40 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Malawi | Zambia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 178,500 | 151,500 | 27,000 | Malawi |
| 1100s | 214,200 | 181,800 | 32,400 | Malawi |
| 1200s | 249,900 | 212,100 | 37,800 | Malawi |
| 1300s | 285,600 | 242,400 | 43,200 | Malawi |
| 1400s | 321,300 | 272,700 | 48,600 | Malawi |
| 1500s | 357,000 | 303,000 | 54,000 | Malawi |
| 1600s | 387,345 | 328,755 | 58,590 | Malawi |
| 1700s | 417,690 | 354,510 | 63,180 | Malawi |
| 1710s | 435,095 | 340,320 | 94,775 | Malawi |
| 1720s | 443,408 | 346,823 | 96,585 | Malawi |
| 1730s | 452,257 | 353,744 | 98,513 | Malawi |
| 1740s | 461,701 | 361,130 | 100,571 | Malawi |
| 1750s | 471,811 | 369,038 | 102,773 | Malawi |
| 1760s | 482,671 | 377,533 | 105,138 | Malawi |
| 1770s | 494,380 | 386,691 | 107,689 | Malawi |
| 1780s | 507,057 | 396,607 | 110,450 | Malawi |
| 1790s | 520,844 | 407,390 | 113,454 | Malawi |
| 1800s | 813,236 | 800,457 | 12,779 | Malawi |
| 1810s | 1.01 million | 931,599 | 76,684 | Malawi |
| 1820s | 1.25 million | 1.08 million | 165,560 | Malawi |
| 1830s | 1.55 million | 1.26 million | 287,232 | Malawi |
| 1840s | 1.92 million | 1.47 million | 450,942 | Malawi |
| 1850s | 2.15 million | 1.59 million | 555,302 | Malawi |
| 1860s | 2.14 million | 1.60 million | 545,754 | Malawi |
| 1870s | 2.13 million | 1.60 million | 522,838 | Malawi |
| 1880s | 2.13 million | 1.62 million | 504,968 | Malawi |
| 1890s | 2.11 million | 1.63 million | 481,278 | Malawi |
| 1900s | 2.00 million | 1.57 million | 431,996 | Malawi |
| 1910s | 1.89 million | 1.48 million | 405,551 | Malawi |
| 1920s | 1.98 million | 1.55 million | 429,521 | Malawi |
| 1930s | 2.28 million | 1.79 million | 495,524 | Malawi |
| 1940s | 2.67 million | 2.09 million | 579,887 | Malawi |
| 1950s | 3.23 million | 2.67 million | 553,737 | Malawi |
| 1960s | 4.06 million | 3.65 million | 406,516 | Malawi |
| 1970s | 5.26 million | 4.94 million | 317,725 | Malawi |
| 1980s | 7.57 million | 6.69 million | 882,932 | Malawi |
| 1990s | 10.29 million | 8.71 million | 1.57 million | Malawi |
| 2000s | 12.75 million | 11.62 million | 1.12 million | Malawi |
| 2010s | 16.88 million | 16.19 million | 696,770 | Malawi |
| 2020s | 20.31 million | 19.88 million | 428,625 | Malawi |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher population, Malawi or Zambia?
- Malawi, at 21.10 million against 20.72 million in Zambia as of 2023.
- What is the difference in population between Malawi and Zambia?
- 380,500, with Malawi ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Malawi and Zambia?
- 241 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2023.
- How do Malawi and Zambia rank globally for population?
- Malawi ranks 63rd and Zambia ranks 64th of 239 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Our World in Data, published as Population. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.