Ethiopia vs Malawi: Share of population living in rural areas
Ethiopia
35.6%
in 2020
Malawi
35.6%
in 2020
Ethiopia rank
70th
Malawi rank
71st
Share of population living in rural areas over time
- Ethiopia
- Malawi
How they compare
Ethiopia currently reports 35.6% against 35.6% in Malawi, a difference of 0.0%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Malawi ahead.
Ethiopia ranks 70th and Malawi ranks 71st of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Ethiopia averaged higher in 1 and Malawi in 7.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Ethiopia | Malawi | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 60.3% | 92.2% | 31.9% | Malawi |
| 1960s | 57.2% | 89.6% | 32.5% | Malawi |
| 1970s | 52.4% | 86.1% | 33.7% | Malawi |
| 1980s | 53.9% | 77.8% | 23.9% | Malawi |
| 1990s | 50.8% | 65.1% | 14.3% | Malawi |
| 2000s | 47.2% | 56.8% | 9.6% | Malawi |
| 2010s | 41.7% | 44.1% | 2.4% | Malawi |
| 2020s | 35.6% | 35.6% | 0.0% | Ethiopia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in rural areas, Ethiopia or Malawi?
- Ethiopia, at 35.6% against 35.6% in Malawi as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in rural areas between Ethiopia and Malawi?
- 0.0%, with Ethiopia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Ethiopia and Malawi?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do Ethiopia and Malawi rank globally for share of population living in rural areas?
- Ethiopia ranks 70th and Malawi ranks 71st of 236 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of population living in rural areas. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Estimated share of the population living in rural areas. Rural areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.