Kenya vs Malawi: Urban population

Urban population in 2025: 32.2% in Kenya and 17.6% in Malawi, by UN estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Kenya, by 14.6 percentage points, or 1.83 times that in Malawi.

Watch it change on the map

% of people · UN

KenyaMalawiUN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025)

What the numbers say

Kenya has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1950.
The UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) puts Kenya at 56.3% and Malawi at 35% in 2050.

Every year

% of people · UN

Year	Kenya	Malawi
2025	32.2	17.6
2024	31.9	17.3
2023	31.6	17
2022	31.4	16.7
2021	31.3	16.5
2020	31.2	16.3
2019	31.2	16.1
2018	31.4	16
2017	31.5	16
2016	31.7	15.9
2015	31.7	15.8
2014	31.8	15.8
2013	31.8	15.7
2012	31.9	15.6
2011	31.9	15.6
2010	31.9	15.5
2009	31.9	15.4
2008	31.4	15.3
2007	30.4	15.3
2006	29	15.2
2005	27.3	15.1
2004	25.4	15
2003	23.6	15
2002	21.9	14.9
2001	20.4	14.8
2000	19.5	14.7
1999	19	14.6
1998	18.9	14.4
1997	18.8	14.2
1996	18.7	14
1995	18.6	13.6
1994	18.5	13.3
1993	18.5	12.9
1992	18.4	12.5
1991	18.3	12
1990	18.2	11.6
1989	18.1	11.3
1988	17.9	10.9
1987	17.7	10.6
1986	17.5	10.4
1985	17.3	10.1
1984	17	9.9
1983	16.8	9.7
1982	16.5	9.5
1981	16.2	9.3
1980	15.8	9.1
1979	15.5	8.9
1978	15.1	8.7
1977	14.5	8.4
1976	13.9	8.1
1975	13.2	7.8
1974	12.5	7.4
1973	11.8	7
1972	11.2	6.5
1971	10.6	6.1
1970	10.1	5.7
1969	9.8	5.4
1968	9.6	5.1
1967	9.4	4.8
1966	9.3	4.7
1965	9.1	4.6
1964	9	4.5
1963	8.8	4.3
1962	8.6	4.2
1961	8.4	4.1
1960	8.2	4
1959	8	4
1958	7.8	3.9
1957	7.6	3.8
1956	7.4	3.7
1955	7.1	3.7
1954	6.9	3.6
1953	6.7	3.6
1952	6.4	3.6
1951	6.2	3.5
1950	5.9	3.5

UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) · 2026–2050

Year	Kenya	Malawi
2026	32.6	18
2027	33	18.3
2028	33.5	18.8
2029	34	19.2
2030	34.6	19.7
2031	35.3	20.2
2032	36	20.8
2033	36.7	21.3
2034	37.5	21.9
2035	38.4	22.6
2036	39.3	23.2
2037	40.2	23.9
2038	41.2	24.6
2039	42.2	25.3
2040	43.3	26.1
2041	44.4	26.9
2042	45.6	27.7
2043	46.8	28.5
2044	48	29.4
2045	49.3	30.3
2046	50.6	31.2
2047	52	32.1
2048	53.4	33
2049	54.8	34
2050	56.3	35

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

Kenya vs Malawi: Urban population

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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