Share of rural and urban population with access to clean fuels for cooking in Malawi
Malawi: Share of rural and urban population with access to clean fuels for cooking was 5.1 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of rural and urban population with access to clean fuels for cooking in Malawi, 2000–2023
Source: International Energy Agency (IEA), International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), UN Statistics Division, World Health Organization (WHO), and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, share of rural and urban population with access to clean fuels for cooking in Malawi stood at 5.1. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.
That represents a change of down 10.5% on the previous year and down 52.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of rural and urban population with access to clean fuels for cooking in Malawi peaked at 11.8 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 5.1, in 2023.
Malawi ranks 178th of 189 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Share of rural and urban population with access to clean fuels for cooking in Malawi, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 11.8 | — |
| 2001 | 11.5 | -2.5% |
| 2002 | 11.3 | -1.7% |
| 2003 | 11.1 | -1.8% |
| 2004 | 11 | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 11.1 | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 11.2 | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 11.2 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 11.5 | +2.7% |
| 2009 | 11.6 | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 11.5 | -0.9% |
| 2011 | 11.3 | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 11.2 | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 10.8 | -3.6% |
| 2014 | 10.5 | -2.8% |
| 2015 | 10 | -4.8% |
| 2016 | 9.3 | -7.0% |
| 2017 | 8.8 | -5.4% |
| 2018 | 8 | -9.1% |
| 2019 | 7.5 | -6.2% |
| 2020 | 6.8 | -9.3% |
| 2021 | 6.2 | -8.8% |
| 2022 | 5.7 | -8.1% |
| 2023 | 5.1 | -10.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 11.33 | 11 | 11.8 | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.89 | 7.5 | 11.5 | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.95 | 5.1 | 6.8 | 4 |
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 rural and urban population with access to clean fuels for cooking in Malawi?
- Share of rural and urban population with access to clean fuels for cooking in Malawi was 5.1 in 2023, according to International Energy Agency (IEA), International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), UN Statistics Division, World Health Organization (WHO), and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of rural and urban population with access to clean fuels for cooking recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 11.8 in 2000.
- What is the lowest share of rural and urban population with access to clean fuels for cooking recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.1 in 2023.
- How does Malawi rank for share of rural and urban population with access to clean fuels for cooking?
- Malawi ranks 178th out of 189 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of rural and urban population with access to clean fuels for cooking rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 52.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from International Energy Agency (IEA), International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), UN Statistics Division, World Health Organization (WHO), and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of rural and urban population with access to clean fuels for cooking. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Access to clean fuels or technologies such as natural gas, electricity, and clean cookstoves reduces exposure to indoor air pollutants, a leading cause of death in low-income households.