Malawi vs Norway: Share of population living in rural areas
Malawi
35.6%
in 2020
Norway
35.5%
in 2020
Malawi rank
71st
Norway rank
73rd
Share of population living in rural areas over time
- Malawi
- Norway
How they compare
Malawi currently reports 35.6% against 35.5% in Norway, a difference of 0.1%.
Across all 15 years both countries report, Malawi has been ahead every year.
Malawi ranks 71st and Norway ranks 73rd of 236 countries.
Malawi has averaged higher in every one of the 8 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Malawi | Norway | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 92.2% | 49.1% | 43.1% | Malawi |
| 1960s | 89.6% | 47.1% | 42.5% | Malawi |
| 1970s | 86.1% | 45.4% | 40.6% | Malawi |
| 1980s | 77.8% | 44.8% | 33.0% | Malawi |
| 1990s | 65.1% | 43.2% | 21.9% | Malawi |
| 2000s | 56.8% | 40.0% | 16.8% | Malawi |
| 2010s | 44.1% | 37.0% | 7.2% | Malawi |
| 2020s | 35.6% | 35.5% | 0.1% | Malawi |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in rural areas, Malawi or Norway?
- Malawi, at 35.6% against 35.5% in Norway as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in rural areas between Malawi and Norway?
- 0.1%, with Malawi ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Malawi and Norway?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do Malawi and Norway rank globally for share of population living in rural areas?
- Malawi ranks 71st and Norway ranks 73rd of 236 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) β 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.