Ethiopia vs Malawi

Ethiopia vs Malawi: Urban population

Urban population in 2025: 24.1% in Ethiopia and 17.6% in Malawi, by UN estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Ethiopia, by 6.5 percentage points, or 1.37 times that in Malawi.

Watch it change on the map

% of people · UN

Ethiopia vs Malawi: Urban populationUrban population in 2025: 24.1% in Ethiopia and 17.6% in Malawi, by UN estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Ethiopia, by 6.5 percentage points, or 1.37 times that in Malawi.
EthiopiaMalawiUN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025)

What the numbers say

  • Ethiopia has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1950.
  • In 2025, Ethiopia ranked 217 and Malawi ranked 224 of 229 countries, counting from the highest.
  • The UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) puts Ethiopia at 33.9% and Malawi at 35% in 2050.

Every year

% of people · UN

YearEthiopiaMalawi
202524.117.6
202423.617.3
202323.117
202222.716.7
202122.116.5
202021.616.3
201921.316.1
201820.816
201720.316
201619.915.9
201519.515.8
20141915.8
201318.615.7
201218.215.6
201117.915.6
201017.515.5
200917.215.4
200816.815.3
200716.115.3
200616.215.2
20051615.1
200415.815
200315.515
200215.314.9
200115.114.8
200014.914.7
199914.714.6
199814.514.4
199714.314.2
199614.114
199513.913.6
199413.713.3
199313.512.9
199213.312.5
19911312
199012.811.6
198912.511.3
198812.210.9
198711.910.6
198611.710.4
198511.410.1
198411.29.9
1983119.7
198210.89.5
198110.69.3
198010.49.1
197910.28.9
1978108.7
19779.88.4
19769.68.1
19759.47.8
19749.27.4
19739.17
19728.96.5
19718.76.1
19708.65.7
19698.45.4
19688.35.1
19678.14.8
196684.7
19657.84.6
19647.74.5
19637.54.3
19627.44.2
19617.24.1
19607.14
195974
19586.83.9
19576.73.8
19566.63.7
19556.53.7
19546.43.6
19536.33.6
19526.13.6
195163.5
19505.93.5
UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) · 2026–2050
YearEthiopiaMalawi
202624.618
202725.118.3
202825.618.8
20292619.2
203026.519.7
20312720.2
203227.420.8
203327.921.3
203428.321.9
203528.722.6
203629.223.2
203729.623.9
20383024.6
203930.425.3
204030.826.1
204131.126.9
204231.527.7
204331.828.5
204432.229.4
204532.530.3
204632.831.2
204733.132.1
204833.433
204933.634
205033.935

Each country on its own

Good to know

  • The share of people living in places the country itself counts as urban.
  • Source: UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025.
  • The dashed line is the UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025), a scenario rather than a forecast.
  • Ranks count the 229 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.

How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time

Ethiopia vs Malawi

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