Annual growth rate of urban population share in Malawi
Malawi: Annual growth rate of urban population share was 1.95 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
1.95
Change on year
up 8.5%
World rank
13th
of 236 countries
All-time high
6.56
in 1971
All-time low
0.1755
in 1950
Years of data
76
1950–2025
Annual growth rate of urban population share in Malawi, 1950–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, annual growth rate of urban population share in Malawi stood at 1.95.
That represents a change of up 8.5% on the previous year and up 362.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual growth rate of urban population share in Malawi peaked at 6.56 in 1971 and was at its lowest, 0.1755, in 1950.
That places Malawi 13th out of 236 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Annual growth rate of urban population share in Malawi, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 0.1755 | — |
| 1951 | 0.4067 | +131.7% |
| 1952 | 0.7274 | +78.9% |
| 1953 | 0.9779 | +34.4% |
| 1954 | 1.22 | +24.5% |
| 1955 | 1.44 | +18.1% |
| 1956 | 1.64 | +13.9% |
| 1957 | 1.82 | +10.9% |
| 1958 | 1.98 | +8.7% |
| 1959 | 2.11 | +7.0% |
| 1960 | 2.23 | +5.6% |
| 1961 | 2.33 | +4.5% |
| 1962 | 2.42 | +3.5% |
| 1963 | 2.48 | +2.7% |
| 1964 | 2.53 | +2.0% |
| 1965 | 2.53 | -0.2% |
| 1966 | 2.84 | +12.2% |
| 1967 | 4.02 | +41.7% |
| 1968 | 5.31 | +32.1% |
| 1969 | 6.09 | +14.8% |
| 1970 | 6.48 | +6.4% |
| 1971 | 6.56 | +1.1% |
| 1972 | 6.38 | -2.7% |
| 1973 | 6.01 | -5.8% |
| 1974 | 5.5 | -8.6% |
| 1975 | 4.87 | -11.4% |
| 1976 | 4.1 | -15.8% |
| 1977 | 3.38 | -17.6% |
| 1978 | 2.82 | -16.7% |
| 1979 | 2.52 | -10.4% |
| 1980 | 2.3 | -9.0% |
| 1981 | 2.14 | -6.7% |
| 1982 | 2.06 | -4.0% |
| 1983 | 2.03 | -1.1% |
| 1984 | 2.07 | +1.7% |
| 1985 | 2.15 | +4.1% |
| 1986 | 2.28 | +6.2% |
| 1987 | 2.49 | +8.9% |
| 1988 | 2.88 | +15.7% |
| 1989 | 3.21 | +11.7% |
| 1990 | 3.4 | +5.7% |
| 1991 | 3.44 | +1.3% |
| 1992 | 3.37 | -2.2% |
| 1993 | 3.19 | -5.3% |
| 1994 | 2.92 | -8.5% |
| 1995 | 2.57 | -12.0% |
| 1996 | 2.14 | -16.5% |
| 1997 | 1.61 | -24.9% |
| 1998 | 1.13 | -29.6% |
| 1999 | 0.8484 | -25.2% |
| 2000 | 0.7502 | -11.6% |
| 2001 | 0.6582 | -12.3% |
| 2002 | 0.5854 | -11.1% |
| 2003 | 0.5307 | -9.3% |
| 2004 | 0.4937 | -7.0% |
| 2005 | 0.474 | -4.0% |
| 2006 | 0.4712 | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 0.4864 | +3.2% |
| 2008 | 0.5039 | +3.6% |
| 2009 | 0.5007 | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 0.4872 | -2.7% |
| 2011 | 0.4746 | -2.6% |
| 2012 | 0.4618 | -2.7% |
| 2013 | 0.4487 | -2.8% |
| 2014 | 0.4353 | -3.0% |
| 2015 | 0.4216 | -3.1% |
| 2016 | 0.4076 | -3.3% |
| 2017 | 0.375 | -8.0% |
| 2018 | 0.4866 | +29.8% |
| 2019 | 0.8868 | +82.2% |
| 2020 | 1.07 | +20.9% |
| 2021 | 1.27 | +18.4% |
| 2022 | 1.46 | +14.7% |
| 2023 | 1.63 | +12.1% |
| 2024 | 1.8 | +10.0% |
| 2025 | 1.95 | +8.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 1.25 | 0.1755 | 2.11 | 10 |
| 1960s | 3.28 | 2.23 | 6.09 | 10 |
| 1970s | 4.86 | 2.52 | 6.56 | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.36 | 2.03 | 3.21 | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.46 | 0.8484 | 3.44 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.5454 | 0.4712 | 0.7502 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.4885 | 0.375 | 0.8868 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.53 | 1.07 | 1.95 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More population data for Malawi
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.4293 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate 0.1183 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.4293 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.3622 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 37,159 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 2.45 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.2289 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate 0.423 (2100)
- Population density 627.29 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 3.85 million (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual growth rate of urban population share in Malawi?
- Annual growth rate of urban population share in Malawi was 1.95 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual growth rate of urban population share recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 6.56 in 1971.
- What is the lowest annual growth rate of urban population share recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1755 in 1950.
- How does Malawi rank for annual growth rate of urban population share?
- Malawi ranks 13th out of 236 countries with data for 2025.
- Is annual growth rate of urban population share rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 362.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Annual growth rate of urban population share. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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