Malawi vs Zambia: Urban population

Urban population in 2025: 17.6% in Malawi and 45.9% in Zambia, by UN estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Zambia, by 28.3 percentage points, or 2.61 times that in Malawi.

Watch it change on the map

% of people · UN

MalawiZambiaUN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025)

What the numbers say

Zambia has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1950.
In 2025, Malawi ranked 224 and Zambia ranked 166 of 229 countries, counting from the highest.
The UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) puts Malawi at 35% and Zambia at 59.1% in 2050.

Every year

% of people · UN

Year	Malawi	Zambia
2025	17.6	45.9
2024	17.3	45.5
2023	17	45
2022	16.7	44.6
2021	16.5	44.2
2020	16.3	43.9
2019	16.1	43.5
2018	16	43.1
2017	16	42.7
2016	15.9	42.3
2015	15.8	42
2014	15.8	41.6
2013	15.7	41.2
2012	15.6	40.8
2011	15.6	40.4
2010	15.5	40
2009	15.4	39.5
2008	15.3	39
2007	15.3	38.4
2006	15.2	37.8
2005	15.1	37.3
2004	15	36.8
2003	15	36.4
2002	14.9	36.1
2001	14.8	35.9
2000	14.7	35.9
1999	14.6	36.2
1998	14.4	36.7
1997	14.2	37.4
1996	14	38
1995	13.6	38.4
1994	13.3	38.7
1993	12.9	38.9
1992	12.5	39.1
1991	12	39.3
1990	11.6	39.4
1989	11.3	39.5
1988	10.9	39.5
1987	10.6	39.6
1986	10.4	39.7
1985	10.1	39.7
1984	9.9	39.8
1983	9.7	39.8
1982	9.5	39.9
1981	9.3	39.9
1980	9.1	39.9
1979	8.9	39.7
1978	8.7	39.3
1977	8.4	38.6
1976	8.1	37.8
1975	7.8	36.8
1974	7.4	35.7
1973	7	34.4
1972	6.5	33.2
1971	6.1	31.9
1970	5.7	30.7
1969	5.4	29.4
1968	5.1	28
1967	4.8	26.4
1966	4.7	24.6
1965	4.6	22.9
1964	4.5	21.3
1963	4.3	20.1
1962	4.2	19.1
1961	4.1	18.2
1960	4	17.2
1959	4	16.3
1958	3.9	15.5
1957	3.8	14.7
1956	3.7	14
1955	3.7	13.3
1954	3.6	12.7
1953	3.6	12.3
1952	3.6	11.9
1951	3.5	11.6
1950	3.5	11.5

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

Year	Malawi	Zambia
2026	18	46.4
2027	18.3	46.8
2028	18.8	47.3
2029	19.2	47.8
2030	19.7	48.2
2031	20.2	48.7
2032	20.8	49.2
2033	21.3	49.7
2034	21.9	50.2
2035	22.6	50.7
2036	23.2	51.2
2037	23.9	51.7
2038	24.6	52.3
2039	25.3	52.8
2040	26.1	53.3
2041	26.9	53.9
2042	27.7	54.4
2043	28.5	55
2044	29.4	55.5
2045	30.3	56.1
2046	31.2	56.7
2047	32.1	57.3
2048	33	57.9
2049	34	58.5
2050	35	59.1

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

Malawi vs Zambia: Urban population

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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