Sanitation facilities usage in urban areas, per square kilometre in Malawi
Malawi: Sanitation facilities usage in urban areas, per square kilometre was 0.3709 people per square kilometre in 2023. ▼ Falling
Sanitation facilities usage in urban areas, per square kilometre in Malawi, 2000–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in people per square kilometre.
Analysis
The most recent figure for sanitation facilities usage in urban areas, per square kilometre in Malawi is 0.3709 people per square kilometre, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.
The figure is down 2.9% on the previous year and down 14.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, sanitation facilities usage in urban areas, per square kilometre in Malawi peaked at 0.4359 people per square kilometre in 2009 and was at its lowest, 0.3709 people per square kilometre, in 2023.
That places Malawi 48th out of 182 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Sanitation facilities usage in urban areas, per square kilometre in Malawi, year by year
| Year | people per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 0.4308 people per square kilometre | — |
| 2001 | 0.4318 people per square kilometre | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 0.4326 people per square kilometre | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 0.4333 people per square kilometre | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 0.4339 people per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 0.4346 people per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 0.4351 people per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 0.4355 people per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 0.4357 people per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.4359 people per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.4358 people per square kilometre | -0.0% |
| 2011 | 0.4352 people per square kilometre | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 0.4342 people per square kilometre | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 0.4326 people per square kilometre | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 0.4303 people per square kilometre | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 0.4274 people per square kilometre | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 0.4237 people per square kilometre | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 0.4192 people per square kilometre | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 0.4139 people per square kilometre | -1.3% |
| 2019 | 0.4076 people per square kilometre | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 0.4003 people per square kilometre | -1.8% |
| 2021 | 0.3918 people per square kilometre | -2.1% |
| 2022 | 0.382 people per square kilometre | -2.5% |
| 2023 | 0.3709 people per square kilometre | -2.9% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 0.3709 people per square kilometre is below the median for low income countries, which is 0.3756 people per square kilometre, 99% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 0.3709 people per square kilometre is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.5739 people per square kilometre, 65% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0.4339 people per square kilometre | 0.4308 people per square kilometre | 0.4359 people per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.426 people per square kilometre | 0.4076 people per square kilometre | 0.4358 people per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.3862 people per square kilometre | 0.3709 people per square kilometre | 0.4003 people per square kilometre | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 45 Senegal 0.5244 people per square kilometre compare
- 46 Namibia 0.387 people per square kilometre compare
- 47 Sudan 0.3756 people per square kilometre compare
- 49 Cameroon 0.3252 people per square kilometre compare
- 50 Antigua and Barbuda 0.3026 people per square kilometre compare
- 51 Niger 0.3011 people per square kilometre compare
More reference data data for Malawi
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1596 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.09 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 3.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.3426 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 3.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5353 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.6012 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 4.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 16.7 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.87 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is sanitation facilities usage in urban areas, per square kilometre in Malawi?
- Sanitation facilities usage in urban areas, per square kilometre in Malawi was 0.3709 people per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest sanitation facilities usage in urban areas, per square kilometre recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 0.4359 people per square kilometre in 2009.
- What is the lowest sanitation facilities usage in urban areas, per square kilometre recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3709 people per square kilometre in 2023.
- How does Malawi rank for sanitation facilities usage in urban areas, per square kilometre?
- Malawi ranks 48th out of 182 countries with data for 2023.
- Is sanitation facilities usage in urban areas, per square kilometre rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Sanitation facilities usage in urban areas, per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Sanitation facilities usage in urban areas divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Sanitation facilities usage in urban areas ÷ Land area (sq. km)
Computed from
- Sanitation facilities usage in urban areas WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
- Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Sanitation facilities usage in urban areas divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.