Share of population living in the capital city in Malawi
Malawi: Share of population living in the capital city was 4.3% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in the capital city in Malawi, 1985–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 4.3% for share of population living in the capital city in 2020. That is the highest value across all 8 years on record.
The figure is up 13.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in the capital city in Malawi peaked at 4.3% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 1.1%, in 1985.
That places Malawi 151st out of 170 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Share of population living in the capital city in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 1.1% | — |
| 1990 | 1.3% | +21.4% |
| 1995 | 1.7% | +32.2% |
| 2000 | 2.6% | +49.2% |
| 2005 | 3.2% | +23.4% |
| 2010 | 3.8% | +18.8% |
| 2015 | 4.1% | +9.2% |
| 2020 | 4.3% | +3.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.1% | 1.1% | 1.1% | 1 |
| 1990s | 1.5% | 1.3% | 1.7% | 2 |
| 2000s | 2.9% | 2.6% | 3.2% | 2 |
| 2010s | 4.0% | 3.8% | 4.1% | 2 |
| 2020s | 4.3% | 4.3% | 4.3% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More population data for Malawi
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.3622 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run 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 regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.4293 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development 0.4% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 3.85 million people (2100)
- Population density 627.29 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth 0.4% (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.2289 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 2.45 Percent per annum (2030)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in the capital city in Malawi?
- Share of population living in the capital city in Malawi was 4.3% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in the capital city recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 4.3% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in the capital city recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.1% in 1985.
- How does Malawi rank for share of population living in the capital city?
- Malawi ranks 151st out of 170 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in the capital city rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in the capital city. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 8 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Percentage of the total population living in the country's capital city. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.