Drinking water services in rural areas in Malawi
Malawi: Drinking water services in rural areas was 343,014 people in 2024. ▼ Falling
Drinking water services in rural areas in Malawi, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
In 2024, drinking water services in rural areas in Malawi stood at 343,014 people. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
The figure is down 10.6% on the previous year and down 48.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, drinking water services in rural areas in Malawi peaked at 834,046 people in 2000 and was at its lowest, 343,014 people, in 2024.
Malawi ranks 47th of 178 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Drinking water services in rural areas in Malawi, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 834,046 people | — |
| 2001 | 826,042 people | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 817,444 people | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 808,401 people | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 799,102 people | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 789,538 people | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 779,533 people | -1.3% |
| 2007 | 768,919 people | -1.4% |
| 2008 | 757,761 people | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 745,633 people | -1.6% |
| 2010 | 732,013 people | -1.8% |
| 2011 | 716,664 people | -2.1% |
| 2012 | 699,467 people | -2.4% |
| 2013 | 680,453 people | -2.7% |
| 2014 | 659,592 people | -3.1% |
| 2015 | 636,712 people | -3.5% |
| 2016 | 611,960 people | -3.9% |
| 2017 | 585,339 people | -4.4% |
| 2018 | 556,703 people | -4.9% |
| 2019 | 526,127 people | -5.5% |
| 2020 | 493,595 people | -6.2% |
| 2021 | 458,959 people | -7.0% |
| 2022 | 422,270 people | -8.0% |
| 2023 | 383,640 people | -9.1% |
| 2024 | 343,014 people | -10.6% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 343,014 people is below the median for low income countries, which is 542,348 people, 63% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 343,014 people is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 528,044 people, 65% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 792,642 people | 745,633 people | 834,046 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 640,503 people | 526,127 people | 732,013 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 420,296 people | 343,014 people | 493,595 people | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More environment data for Malawi
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -0.9153 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -0.8098 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.254 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.07 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 3.65 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate 5.3 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is drinking water services in rural areas in Malawi?
- Drinking water services in rural areas in Malawi was 343,014 people in 2024, according to WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest drinking water services in rural areas recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 834,046 people in 2000.
- What is the lowest drinking water services in rural areas recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 343,014 people in 2024.
- How does Malawi rank for drinking water services in rural areas?
- Malawi ranks 47th out of 178 countries with data for 2024.
- Is drinking water services in rural areas rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 48.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Drinking water services in rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of people using drinking water directly collected from surface waters.