Ireland vs Malawi: Urban and rural population

Ireland
3.43 million
in 2025
Malawi
3.91 million
in 2025
Ireland rank
119th
Malawi rank
116th

Urban and rural population over time

  • Ireland
  • Malawi
01.0M2.0M3.0M4.0M195019872025

How they compare

Malawi currently reports 3.91 million against 3.43 million in Ireland, a difference of 480,590.

That makes Malawi's figure about 1.1 times Ireland's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 76 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Ireland ahead.

Ireland ranks 119th and Malawi ranks 116th of 236 countries.

Across the 8 decades both report, Ireland averaged higher in 7 and Malawi in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade Ireland Malawi Difference Ahead
1950s 1.24 million 119,404 1.12 million Ireland
1960s 1.38 million 186,870 1.19 million Ireland
1970s 1.70 million 396,808 1.30 million Ireland
1980s 1.97 million 770,168 1.20 million Ireland
1990s 2.09 million 1.37 million 719,496 Ireland
2000s 2.51 million 1.92 million 584,890 Ireland
2010s 2.95 million 2.67 million 277,948 Ireland
2020s 3.30 million 3.53 million 231,100 Malawi

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher urban and rural population, Ireland or Malawi?
Malawi, at 3.91 million against 3.43 million in Ireland as of 2025.
What is the difference in urban and rural population between Ireland and Malawi?
480,590, with Malawi ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Ireland and Malawi?
76 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2025.
How do Ireland and Malawi rank globally for urban and rural population?
Ireland ranks 119th and Malawi ranks 116th of 236 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Our World in Data, published as Urban and rural population. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Urban and rural population
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
237 places, 18,012 data points, 1950–2025
Last refreshed