Share of land covered by lakes and rivers in Malawi
Malawi: Share of land covered by lakes and rivers was 19.8% in 2022. ▬ Flat
Latest (2022)
19.8%
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
2nd
of 208 countries
All-time high
20.4%
in 2011
All-time low
17.1%
in 2000
Years of data
23
2000–2022
Share of land covered by lakes and rivers in Malawi, 2000–2022
Source: UN Environment Programme – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 19.8% for share of land covered by lakes and rivers in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and down 2.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land covered by lakes and rivers in Malawi peaked at 20.4% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 17.1%, in 2000.
Malawi ranks 2nd of 208 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Share of land covered by lakes and rivers in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 17.1% | — |
| 2001 | 17.2% | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 20.3% | +17.8% |
| 2003 | 20.4% | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 20.4% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 20.4% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 20.4% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 20.4% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 20.4% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 20.4% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 20.4% | -0.0% |
| 2011 | 20.4% | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 20.4% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 20.3% | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 20.3% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 20.2% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 20.2% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 20.1% | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 20.1% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 19.9% | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 19.9% | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 19.8% | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 19.8% | +0.1% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 19.8% is above the median for low income countries, which is 0.1%, 152.5× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 19.8% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.1%, 180.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 19.7% | 17.1% | 20.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.2% | 19.9% | 20.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.8% | 19.8% | 19.9% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 1 Azerbaijan 90.5% compare
- 3 Turkmenistan 18.1% compare
- 4 Saint Martin (French Part) 11.0% compare
- 5 Sint Maarten (Dutch part) 10.5% 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 share of land covered by lakes and rivers in Malawi?
- Share of land covered by lakes and rivers in Malawi was 19.8% in 2022, according to UN Environment Programme – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of land covered by lakes and rivers recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 20.4% in 2011.
- What is the lowest share of land covered by lakes and rivers recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.1% in 2000.
- How does Malawi rank for share of land covered by lakes and rivers?
- Malawi ranks 2nd out of 208 countries with data for 2022.
- Is share of land covered by lakes and rivers rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from UN Environment Programme – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of land covered by lakes and rivers. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Lakes and rivers permanent water area (% of total land area).