Share of population urban in Malawi
Malawi: Share of population urban was 17.59 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
17.59
Change on year
up 1.9%
World rank
230th
of 236 countries
All-time high
17.59
in 2025
All-time low
3.53
in 1950
Years of data
76
1950–2025
Share of population urban in Malawi, 1950–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 17.59 for share of population urban in 2025. That is the highest value across all 76 years on record.
The figure is up 1.9% on the previous year and up 11.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population urban in Malawi peaked at 17.59 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 3.53, in 1950.
That places Malawi 230th out of 236 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 76 years of available data.
Share of population urban in Malawi, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 3.53 | — |
| 1951 | 3.54 | +0.3% |
| 1952 | 3.56 | +0.6% |
| 1953 | 3.59 | +0.9% |
| 1954 | 3.63 | +1.1% |
| 1955 | 3.68 | +1.3% |
| 1956 | 3.74 | +1.6% |
| 1957 | 3.8 | +1.7% |
| 1958 | 3.88 | +1.9% |
| 1959 | 3.96 | +2.1% |
| 1960 | 4.04 | +2.2% |
| 1961 | 4.14 | +2.3% |
| 1962 | 4.24 | +2.4% |
| 1963 | 4.34 | +2.5% |
| 1964 | 4.45 | +2.5% |
| 1965 | 4.57 | +2.6% |
| 1966 | 4.69 | +2.6% |
| 1967 | 4.84 | +3.4% |
| 1968 | 5.08 | +4.9% |
| 1969 | 5.38 | +5.9% |
| 1970 | 5.73 | +6.5% |
| 1971 | 6.12 | +6.8% |
| 1972 | 6.53 | +6.7% |
| 1973 | 6.95 | +6.4% |
| 1974 | 7.36 | +5.9% |
| 1975 | 7.76 | +5.3% |
| 1976 | 8.11 | +4.6% |
| 1977 | 8.42 | +3.8% |
| 1978 | 8.68 | +3.1% |
| 1979 | 8.92 | +2.7% |
| 1980 | 9.13 | +2.4% |
| 1981 | 9.34 | +2.2% |
| 1982 | 9.54 | +2.1% |
| 1983 | 9.73 | +2.1% |
| 1984 | 9.93 | +2.1% |
| 1985 | 10.14 | +2.1% |
| 1986 | 10.37 | +2.2% |
| 1987 | 10.62 | +2.4% |
| 1988 | 10.91 | +2.7% |
| 1989 | 11.25 | +3.1% |
| 1990 | 11.62 | +3.4% |
| 1991 | 12.03 | +3.5% |
| 1992 | 12.45 | +3.5% |
| 1993 | 12.87 | +3.3% |
| 1994 | 13.27 | +3.1% |
| 1995 | 13.64 | +2.8% |
| 1996 | 13.96 | +2.4% |
| 1997 | 14.23 | +1.9% |
| 1998 | 14.42 | +1.4% |
| 1999 | 14.56 | +0.9% |
| 2000 | 14.68 | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 14.78 | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 14.87 | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 14.96 | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 15.03 | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 15.1 | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 15.18 | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 15.25 | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 15.32 | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 15.4 | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 15.48 | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 15.55 | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 15.63 | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 15.7 | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 15.77 | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 15.83 | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 15.9 | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 15.96 | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 16.02 | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 16.14 | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 16.3 | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 16.49 | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 16.71 | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 16.97 | +1.6% |
| 2024 | 17.27 | +1.7% |
| 2025 | 17.59 | +1.9% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 17.59 is below the median for low income countries, which is 34.54, 51% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 17.59 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 44.89, 39% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 3.69 | 3.53 | 3.96 | 10 |
| 1960s | 4.58 | 4.04 | 5.38 | 10 |
| 1970s | 7.46 | 5.73 | 8.92 | 10 |
| 1980s | 10.1 | 9.13 | 11.25 | 10 |
| 1990s | 13.3 | 11.62 | 14.56 | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.06 | 14.68 | 15.4 | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.8 | 15.48 | 16.14 | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.89 | 16.3 | 17.59 | 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 share of population urban in Malawi?
- Share of population urban in Malawi was 17.59 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population urban recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 17.59 in 2025.
- What is the lowest share of population urban recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.53 in 1950.
- How does Malawi rank for share of population urban?
- Malawi ranks 230th out of 236 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of population urban rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population urban. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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