Number of people living in urban slum households in Malawi
Malawi: Number of people living in urban slum households was 1.31 million in 2022. ▲ Rising
Number of people living in urban slum households in Malawi, 2000–2022
Source: United Nations Population Division, national statistical offices, and Eurostat, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2022, number of people living in urban slum households in Malawi stood at 1.31 million. That is the lowest value across all 12 years on record.
The figure is down 17.6% on the previous year and down 11.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people living in urban slum households in Malawi peaked at 1.58 million in 2020 and was at its lowest, 1.31 million, in 2022.
That places Malawi 66th out of 174 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.
Number of people living in urban slum households in Malawi, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1.35 million | — |
| 2002 | 1.38 million | +1.8% |
| 2004 | 1.40 million | +1.6% |
| 2006 | 1.42 million | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 1.44 million | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 1.47 million | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 1.48 million | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 1.49 million | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 1.49 million | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 1.48 million | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 1.58 million | +7.2% |
| 2022 | 1.31 million | -17.6% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 1.31 million is below the median for low income countries, which is 4.27 million, 31% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 1.31 million is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.60 million, 50% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.40 million | 1.35 million | 1.44 million | 5 |
| 2010s | 1.48 million | 1.47 million | 1.49 million | 5 |
| 2020s | 1.45 million | 1.31 million | 1.58 million | 2 |
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 number of people living in urban slum households in Malawi?
- Number of people living in urban slum households in Malawi was 1.31 million in 2022, according to United Nations Population Division, national statistical offices, and Eurostat, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of people living in urban slum households recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 1.58 million in 2020.
- What is the lowest number of people living in urban slum households recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.31 million in 2022.
- How does Malawi rank for number of people living in urban slum households?
- Malawi ranks 66th out of 174 countries with data for 2022.
- Is number of people living in urban slum households rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Population Division, national statistical offices, and Eurostat, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people living in urban slum households. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
A slum household is defined as a group of individuals living under the same roof lacking one or more of the following conditions: access to improved water and sanitation, sufficient living area, housing durability, and security of tenure.