Drinking water usage in urban areas in Malawi
Malawi: Drinking water usage in urban areas was 10,198 people in 2024. ▬ Flat
Latest (2024)
10,198 people
Change on year
down 2.2%
World rank
45th
of 188 countries
All-time high
11,387 people
in 2013
All-time low
10,198 people
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024
Drinking water usage in urban 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 usage in urban areas in Malawi stood at 10,198 people. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
That represents a change of down 2.2% on the previous year and down 10.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, drinking water usage in urban areas in Malawi peaked at 11,387 people in 2013 and was at its lowest, 10,198 people, in 2024.
That places Malawi 45th out of 188 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
Drinking water usage in urban areas in Malawi, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 10,971 people | — |
| 2001 | 11,016 people | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 11,056 people | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 11,095 people | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 11,134 people | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 11,174 people | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 11,213 people | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 11,250 people | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 11,284 people | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 11,321 people | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 11,353 people | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 11,376 people | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 11,387 people | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 11,387 people | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 11,374 people | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 11,347 people | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 11,302 people | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 11,244 people | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 11,165 people | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 11,067 people | -0.9% |
| 2020 | 10,948 people | -1.1% |
| 2021 | 10,802 people | -1.3% |
| 2022 | 10,629 people | -1.6% |
| 2023 | 10,428 people | -1.9% |
| 2024 | 10,198 people | -2.2% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 10,198 people is below the median for low income countries, which is 16,882 people, 60% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 10,198 people is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 10,146 people, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 11,152 people | 10,971 people | 11,321 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 11,300 people | 11,067 people | 11,387 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 10,601 people | 10,198 people | 10,948 people | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 42 Uzbekistan 18,029 people compare
- 43 Burkina Faso 16,882 people compare
- 44 Haiti 12,472 people compare
- 46 Guinea 10,146 people compare
- 47 Dominican Republic 9,344 people compare
- 48 Namibia 8,554 people compare
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 usage in urban areas in Malawi?
- Drinking water usage in urban areas in Malawi was 10,198 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 usage in urban areas recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 11,387 people in 2013.
- What is the lowest drinking water usage in urban areas recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 10,198 people in 2024.
- How does Malawi rank for drinking water usage in urban areas?
- Malawi ranks 45th out of 188 countries with data for 2024.
- Is drinking water usage in urban areas rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- 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 usage in urban 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.