Malawi vs Rwanda: Rural population
Malawi
81.4%
in 2024
Rwanda
81.9%
in 2024
Malawi rank
7th
Rwanda rank
6th
Rural population over time
- Malawi
- Rwanda
How they compare
Rwanda currently reports 81.9% against 81.4% in Malawi, a difference of 0.5%.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 55 shared years of data; in 1970 it was Rwanda ahead.
Malawi ranks 7th and Rwanda ranks 6th of 214 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, Malawi averaged higher in 2 and Rwanda in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Malawi | Rwanda | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 92.5% | 96.1% | 3.6% | Rwanda |
| 1980s | 89.9% | 95.0% | 5.1% | Rwanda |
| 1990s | 86.9% | 90.6% | 3.7% | Rwanda |
| 2000s | 85.0% | 83.4% | 1.6% | Malawi |
| 2010s | 83.7% | 83.0% | 0.8% | Malawi |
| 2020s | 82.0% | 82.3% | 0.3% | Rwanda |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher rural population, Malawi or Rwanda?
- Rwanda, at 81.9% against 81.4% in Malawi as of 2024.
- What is the difference in rural population between Malawi and Rwanda?
- 0.5%, with Rwanda ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Malawi and Rwanda?
- 55 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2024.
- How do Malawi and Rwanda rank globally for rural population?
- Malawi ranks 7th and Rwanda ranks 6th of 214 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Rural population (% of total population). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release