Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Malawi
Malawi: Share of population living in urban and rural areas was 64.4% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Malawi, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of population living in urban and rural areas in Malawi is 64.4%, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 22.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in urban and rural areas in Malawi peaked at 64.4% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 7.3%, in 1950.
Malawi ranks 166th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 7.3% | — |
| 1955 | 8.3% | +14.1% |
| 1960 | 9.6% | +15.3% |
| 1965 | 11.1% | +16.0% |
| 1970 | 12.9% | +15.8% |
| 1975 | 14.9% | +16.0% |
| 1980 | 18.6% | +24.3% |
| 1985 | 25.8% | +38.9% |
| 1990 | 33.7% | +30.6% |
| 1995 | 36.1% | +7.2% |
| 2000 | 40.6% | +12.3% |
| 2005 | 45.9% | +13.2% |
| 2010 | 52.6% | +14.5% |
| 2015 | 59.2% | +12.5% |
| 2020 | 64.4% | +8.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 7.8% | 7.3% | 8.3% | 2 |
| 1960s | 10.4% | 9.6% | 11.1% | 2 |
| 1970s | 13.9% | 12.9% | 14.9% | 2 |
| 1980s | 22.2% | 18.6% | 25.8% | 2 |
| 1990s | 34.9% | 33.7% | 36.1% | 2 |
| 2000s | 43.2% | 40.6% | 45.9% | 2 |
| 2010s | 55.9% | 52.6% | 59.2% | 2 |
| 2020s | 64.4% | 64.4% | 64.4% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
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 population living in urban and rural areas in Malawi?
- Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Malawi was 64.4% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 64.4% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.3% in 1950.
- How does Malawi rank for share of population living in urban and rural areas?
- Malawi ranks 166th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in urban and rural areas rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
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.