Malawi vs South Africa: Urban and rural population projected to 2050
Malawi
24.30 million people
in 2050
South Africa
23.02 million people
in 2050
Malawi rank
24th
South Africa rank
26th
Urban and rural population projected to 2050 over time
- Malawi
- South Africa
How they compare
Malawi currently reports 24.30 million people against 23.02 million people in South Africa, a difference of 1.27 million people.
That makes Malawi's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 133 shared years of data; in 1000 it was South Africa ahead.
Malawi ranks 24th and South Africa ranks 26th of 238 countries.
Across the 43 decades both report, Malawi averaged higher in 4 and South Africa in 39.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Malawi | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 178,500 people | 257,995 people | 79,495 people | South Africa |
| 1100s | 214,199 people | 309,582 people | 95,383 people | South Africa |
| 1200s | 249,896 people | 361,137 people | 111,241 people | South Africa |
| 1300s | 285,588 people | 412,584 people | 126,996 people | South Africa |
| 1400s | 321,259 people | 463,671 people | 142,412 people | South Africa |
| 1500s | 356,864 people | 513,569 people | 156,705 people | South Africa |
| 1600s | 386,904 people | 593,492 people | 206,588 people | South Africa |
| 1700s | 416,262 people | 823,536 people | 407,274 people | South Africa |
| 1710s | 433,419 people | 803,312 people | 369,893 people | South Africa |
| 1720s | 441,538 people | 783,268 people | 341,730 people | South Africa |
| 1730s | 450,168 people | 763,403 people | 313,235 people | South Africa |
| 1740s | 459,365 people | 743,718 people | 284,353 people | South Africa |
| 1750s | 469,196 people | 724,212 people | 255,016 people | South Africa |
| 1760s | 479,741 people | 704,887 people | 225,146 people | South Africa |
| 1770s | 491,094 people | 685,741 people | 194,647 people | South Africa |
| 1780s | 503,365 people | 666,774 people | 163,409 people | South Africa |
| 1790s | 516,690 people | 647,988 people | 131,298 people | South Africa |
| 1800s | 531,235 people | 629,381 people | 98,146 people | South Africa |
| 1810s | 547,206 people | 610,954 people | 63,748 people | South Africa |
| 1820s | 564,858 people | 592,706 people | 27,848 people | South Africa |
| 1830s | 584,522 people | 574,638 people | 9,884 people | Malawi |
| 1840s | 606,624 people | 556,750 people | 49,874 people | Malawi |
| 1850s | 631,732 people | 651,233 people | 19,501 people | South Africa |
| 1860s | 660,620 people | 797,821 people | 137,201 people | South Africa |
| 1870s | 694,376 people | 1.05 million people | 357,104 people | South Africa |
| 1880s | 734,586 people | 2.07 million people | 1.33 million people | South Africa |
| 1890s | 783,677 people | 2.52 million people | 1.74 million people | South Africa |
| 1900s | 845,588 people | 3.49 million people | 2.65 million people | South Africa |
| 1910s | 927,254 people | 4.54 million people | 3.61 million people | South Africa |
| 1920s | 1.04 million people | 5.43 million people | 4.39 million people | South Africa |
| 1930s | 1.22 million people | 6.42 million people | 5.20 million people | South Africa |
| 1940s | 1.57 million people | 7.35 million people | 5.78 million people | South Africa |
| 1950s | 3.11 million people | 8.00 million people | 4.89 million people | South Africa |
| 1960s | 3.87 million people | 9.96 million people | 6.09 million people | South Africa |
| 1970s | 4.86 million people | 13.18 million people | 8.32 million people | South Africa |
| 1980s | 6.80 million people | 17.42 million people | 10.62 million people | South Africa |
| 1990s | 8.92 million people | 20.51 million people | 11.59 million people | South Africa |
| 2000s | 10.82 million people | 19.99 million people | 9.17 million people | South Africa |
| 2010s | 14.21 million people | 20.62 million people | 6.40 million people | South Africa |
| 2020s | 18.10 million people | 23.23 million people | 5.13 million people | South Africa |
| 2030s | 21.64 million people | 24.30 million people | 2.66 million people | South Africa |
| 2040s | 23.82 million people | 23.81 million people | 3,110 people | Malawi |
| 2050s | 24.30 million people | 23.02 million people | 1.27 million people | Malawi |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher urban and rural population projected to 2050, Malawi or South Africa?
- Malawi, at 24.30 million people against 23.02 million people in South Africa as of 2050.
- What is the difference in urban and rural population projected to 2050 between Malawi and South Africa?
- 1.27 million people, with Malawi ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Malawi and South Africa?
- 133 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2050.
- How do Malawi and South Africa rank globally for urban and rural population projected to 2050?
- Malawi ranks 24th and South Africa ranks 26th of 238 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) β with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Urban and rural population projected to 2050. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Number of people living in rural areas, combining UN estimates and projections with modeled historical data.