Ethiopia vs Malawi: Share of population living in urban areas
Ethiopia
64.4%
in 2020
Malawi
64.4%
in 2020
Ethiopia rank
167th
Malawi rank
166th
Share of population living in urban areas over time
- Ethiopia
- Malawi
How they compare
Malawi currently reports 64.4% against 64.4% in Ethiopia, a difference of 0.0%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Ethiopia ahead.
Ethiopia ranks 167th and Malawi ranks 166th of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Ethiopia averaged higher in 7 and Malawi in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Ethiopia | Malawi | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 39.7% | 7.8% | 31.9% | Ethiopia |
| 1960s | 42.8% | 10.4% | 32.5% | Ethiopia |
| 1970s | 47.6% | 13.9% | 33.7% | Ethiopia |
| 1980s | 46.1% | 22.2% | 23.9% | Ethiopia |
| 1990s | 49.2% | 34.9% | 14.3% | Ethiopia |
| 2000s | 52.8% | 43.2% | 9.6% | Ethiopia |
| 2010s | 58.3% | 55.9% | 2.4% | Ethiopia |
| 2020s | 64.4% | 64.4% | 0.0% | Malawi |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in urban areas, Ethiopia or Malawi?
- Malawi, at 64.4% against 64.4% in Ethiopia as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in urban areas between Ethiopia and Malawi?
- 0.0%, with Malawi ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Ethiopia and Malawi?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do Ethiopia and Malawi rank globally for share of population living in urban areas?
- Ethiopia ranks 167th and Malawi ranks 166th of 236 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of population living in urban areas. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.