Municipal water withdrawal in Malawi
Malawi: Municipal water withdrawal was 143.10 million cubic meters in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
143.10 million cubic meters
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
130th
of 183 countries
All-time high
143.10 million cubic meters
in 2005
All-time low
54.00 million cubic meters
in 1985
Years of data
39
1985–2023
Municipal water withdrawal in Malawi, 1985–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – AQUASTAT (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in cubic meters.
Analysis
In 2023, municipal water withdrawal in Malawi stood at 143.10 million cubic meters. That is the highest value across all 39 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, municipal water withdrawal in Malawi peaked at 143.10 million cubic meters in 2005 and was at its lowest, 54.00 million cubic meters, in 1985.
That places Malawi 130th out of 183 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 39 years of available data.
Municipal water withdrawal in Malawi, year by year
| Year | cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 54.00 million cubic meters | — |
| 1986 | 58.56 million cubic meters | +8.4% |
| 1987 | 63.12 million cubic meters | +7.8% |
| 1988 | 67.68 million cubic meters | +7.2% |
| 1989 | 72.24 million cubic meters | +6.7% |
| 1990 | 76.80 million cubic meters | +6.3% |
| 1991 | 81.35 million cubic meters | +5.9% |
| 1992 | 85.90 million cubic meters | +5.6% |
| 1993 | 90.45 million cubic meters | +5.3% |
| 1994 | 95.00 million cubic meters | +5.0% |
| 1995 | 99.10 million cubic meters | +4.3% |
| 1996 | 103.20 million cubic meters | +4.1% |
| 1997 | 107.30 million cubic meters | +4.0% |
| 1998 | 111.40 million cubic meters | +3.8% |
| 1999 | 115.50 million cubic meters | +3.7% |
| 2000 | 119.60 million cubic meters | +3.5% |
| 2001 | 124.30 million cubic meters | +3.9% |
| 2002 | 129.00 million cubic meters | +3.8% |
| 2003 | 133.70 million cubic meters | +3.6% |
| 2004 | 138.40 million cubic meters | +3.5% |
| 2005 | 143.10 million cubic meters | +3.4% |
| 2006 | 143.10 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 143.10 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 143.10 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 143.10 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 143.10 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 143.10 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 143.10 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 143.10 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 143.10 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 143.10 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 143.10 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 143.10 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 143.10 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 143.10 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 143.10 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 143.10 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 143.10 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 143.10 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 143.10 million cubic meters is below the median for low income countries, which is 193.00 million cubic meters, 74% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 143.10 million cubic meters is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 144.05 million cubic meters, 99% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 63.12 million cubic meters | 54.00 million cubic meters | 72.24 million cubic meters | 5 |
| 1990s | 96.60 million cubic meters | 76.80 million cubic meters | 115.50 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2000s | 136.05 million cubic meters | 119.60 million cubic meters | 143.10 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 143.10 million cubic meters | 143.10 million cubic meters | 143.10 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 143.10 million cubic meters | 143.10 million cubic meters | 143.10 million cubic meters | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 127 Brunei 151.50 million cubic meters compare
- 128 Nepal 147.60 million cubic meters compare
- 129 Benin 145.00 million cubic meters compare
- 131 Togo 140.70 million cubic meters compare
- 132 Lithuania 136.78 million cubic meters compare
- 133 Laos 130.00 million cubic meters compare
- 133 Oman 130.00 million cubic meters 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 municipal water withdrawal in Malawi?
- Municipal water withdrawal in Malawi was 143.10 million cubic meters in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – AQUASTAT (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest municipal water withdrawal recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 143.10 million cubic meters in 2005.
- What is the lowest municipal water withdrawal recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 54.00 million cubic meters in 1985.
- How does Malawi rank for municipal water withdrawal?
- Malawi ranks 130th out of 183 countries with data for 2023.
- Is municipal water withdrawal 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 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – AQUASTAT (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Municipal water withdrawal. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 39 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Water withdrawn each year for direct use by the population, usually measured as the total supplied by the public distribution network.