Statizoid

Urban and rural population projected to 2050 in Malawi

Malawi: Urban and rural population projected to 2050 was 24.30 million people in 2050. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2050)
24.30 million people
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
24th
of 238 countries
All-time high
24.30 million people
in 2050
All-time low
178,500 people
in 1000
Years of data
133
1000–2050

Urban and rural population projected to 2050 in Malawi, 1000–2050

05.0M10.0M15.0M20.0M25.0M100015252050

Source: HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.

Analysis

The most recent figure for urban and rural population projected to 2050 in Malawi is 24.30 million people, measured in 2050. That is the highest value across all 133 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 5.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, urban and rural population projected to 2050 in Malawi peaked at 24.30 million people in 2050 and was at its lowest, 178,500 people, in 1000.

That places Malawi 24th out of 238 countries with data for 2050, putting it in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1000s 178,500 people 178,500 people 178,500 people 1
1100s 214,199 people 214,199 people 214,199 people 1
1200s 249,896 people 249,896 people 249,896 people 1
1300s 285,588 people 285,588 people 285,588 people 1
1400s 321,259 people 321,259 people 321,259 people 1
1500s 356,864 people 356,864 people 356,864 people 1
1600s 386,904 people 386,904 people 386,904 people 1
1700s 416,262 people 416,262 people 416,262 people 1
1710s 433,419 people 433,419 people 433,419 people 1
1720s 441,538 people 441,538 people 441,538 people 1
1730s 450,168 people 450,168 people 450,168 people 1
1740s 459,365 people 459,365 people 459,365 people 1
1750s 469,196 people 469,196 people 469,196 people 1
1760s 479,741 people 479,741 people 479,741 people 1
1770s 491,094 people 491,094 people 491,094 people 1
1780s 503,365 people 503,365 people 503,365 people 1
1790s 516,690 people 516,690 people 516,690 people 1
1800s 531,235 people 531,235 people 531,235 people 1
1810s 547,206 people 547,206 people 547,206 people 1
1820s 564,858 people 564,858 people 564,858 people 1
1830s 584,522 people 584,522 people 584,522 people 1
1840s 606,624 people 606,624 people 606,624 people 1
1850s 631,732 people 631,732 people 631,732 people 1
1860s 660,620 people 660,620 people 660,620 people 1
1870s 694,376 people 694,376 people 694,376 people 1
1880s 734,586 people 734,586 people 734,586 people 1
1890s 783,677 people 783,677 people 783,677 people 1
1900s 845,588 people 845,588 people 845,588 people 1
1910s 927,254 people 927,254 people 927,254 people 1
1920s 1.04 million people 1.04 million people 1.04 million people 1
1930s 1.22 million people 1.22 million people 1.22 million people 1
1940s 1.57 million people 1.57 million people 1.57 million people 1
1950s 3.11 million people 2.85 million people 3.40 million people 10
1960s 3.87 million people 3.48 million people 4.28 million people 10
1970s 4.86 million people 4.37 million people 5.49 million people 10
1980s 6.80 million people 5.69 million people 8.14 million people 10
1990s 8.92 million people 8.44 million people 9.44 million people 10
2000s 10.82 million people 9.66 million people 12.18 million people 10
2010s 14.21 million people 12.53 million people 15.96 million people 10
2020s 18.10 million people 16.35 million people 19.83 million people 10
2030s 21.64 million people 20.20 million people 22.92 million people 10
2040s 23.82 million people 23.13 million people 24.27 million people 10
2050s 24.30 million people 24.30 million people 24.30 million people 1

Countries ranked near Malawi

  1. 21 Mozambique 30.00 million people compare
  2. 22 Madagascar 27.43 million people compare
  3. 23 Russia 25.81 million people compare
  4. 25 Mali 24.16 million people compare
  5. 26 South Africa 23.02 million people compare
  6. 27 Cameroon 20.85 million people compare

See the full ranking of 239 places →

More population data for Malawi

All data for Malawi →

Frequently asked questions

What is urban and rural population projected to 2050 in Malawi?
Urban and rural population projected to 2050 in Malawi was 24.30 million people in 2050, according to HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest urban and rural population projected to 2050 recorded in Malawi?
The highest recorded value was 24.30 million people in 2050.
What is the lowest urban and rural population projected to 2050 recorded in Malawi?
The lowest recorded value was 178,500 people in 1000.
How does Malawi rank for urban and rural population projected to 2050?
Malawi ranks 24th out of 238 countries with data for 2050.
Is urban and rural population projected to 2050 rising or falling in Malawi?
Over the last ten years it is up 5.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Malawi data come from?
The figures come from HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Urban and rural population projected to 2050. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 133 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Urban and rural population projected to 2050
Unit
people
Source
HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
239 places, 30,401 data points, 1000–2050
Last refreshed

Number of people living in rural areas, combining UN estimates and projections with modelled historical data.