Using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas in Malawi
Malawi: Using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas was 52.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. 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 %.
Analysis
In 2024, using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas in Malawi stood at 52.4%. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 12.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas in Malawi peaked at 52.4% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 36.6%, in 2000.
That places Malawi 75th out of 105 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 36.6% | — |
| 2001 | 37.3% | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 38.0% | +1.9% |
| 2003 | 38.7% | +1.8% |
| 2004 | 39.4% | +1.8% |
| 2005 | 40.1% | +1.8% |
| 2006 | 40.8% | +1.8% |
| 2007 | 41.5% | +1.7% |
| 2008 | 42.2% | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 42.9% | +1.7% |
| 2010 | 43.7% | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 44.4% | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 45.1% | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 45.8% | +1.6% |
| 2014 | 46.5% | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 47.2% | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 48.0% | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 48.7% | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 49.4% | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 50.1% | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 50.8% | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 51.6% | +1.4% |
| 2022 | 52.3% | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 52.4% | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 52.4% | +0.1% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 52.4% is above the median for low income countries, which is 38.5%, 1.4× the median. (14 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 52.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 45.2%, 1.2× the median. (27 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 39.8% | 36.6% | 42.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 46.9% | 43.7% | 50.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 51.9% | 50.8% | 52.4% | 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 using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas in Malawi?
- Using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas in Malawi was 52.4% 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 using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 52.4% in 2024.
- What is the lowest using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 36.6% in 2000.
- How does Malawi rank for using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas?
- Malawi ranks 75th out of 105 countries with data for 2024.
- Is using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. rural areas rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 Using safely managed drinking water in urban vs. 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
Proportion of people using an improved drinking water source that is located on premises, available when needed and free from fecal and priority chemical contamination.