Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Malawi
Malawi: Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals was 10.5% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Malawi, 1994–2022
Source: AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of total freshwater withdrawal.
Analysis
The most recent figure for municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Malawi is 10.5%, measured in 2022. That is the highest value across all 29 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Malawi peaked at 10.5% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 9.6%, in 2002.
That places Malawi 135th out of 180 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 29 years of available data.
Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % of total freshwater withdrawal | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 10.1% | — |
| 1995 | 10.1% | -1.0% |
| 1996 | 10.0% | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 9.9% | -0.8% |
| 1998 | 9.8% | -0.8% |
| 1999 | 9.7% | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 9.7% | -0.6% |
| 2001 | 9.7% | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 9.6% | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 9.9% | +3.2% |
| 2004 | 10.2% | +3.0% |
| 2005 | 10.5% | +2.9% |
| 2006 | 10.5% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 10.5% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 10.5% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 10.5% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 10.5% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 10.5% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 10.5% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 10.5% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 10.5% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 10.5% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 10.5% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 10.5% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 10.5% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 10.5% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 10.5% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 10.5% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 10.5% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9.9% | 9.7% | 10.1% | 6 |
| 2000s | 10.2% | 9.6% | 10.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.5% | 10.5% | 10.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.5% | 10.5% | 10.5% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 132 New Zealand 11.1% compare
- 133 Türkiye 11.1% compare
- 134 Indonesia 10.7% compare
- 136 Philippines 10.4% compare
- 137 North Korea 10.4% compare
- 138 Morocco 10.2% 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)
- Paper and paperboard — Import quantity, annual growth rate 18.16 % change on previous year (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import quantity, per unit of GDP 0 t per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import quantity, per capita 0.001 t per person (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import value, annual growth rate 8.35 % change on previous year (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import value, per unit of GDP 0 1000 USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Malawi?
- Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Malawi was 10.5% in 2022, according to AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 10.5% in 2005.
- What is the lowest municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.6% in 2002.
- How does Malawi rank for municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals?
- Malawi ranks 135th out of 180 countries with data for 2022.
- Is municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 29 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Municipal (domestic) water withdrawals as a percentage of total water withdrawals (which is the sum of water used for agriculture, industry, and municipal purposes).