Burkina Faso vs Malawi
Burkina Faso has 8% more people than Malawi: 24,074,580 vs 22,216,120, a gap of 1.9 million. Malawi is growing faster (+2.56% vs +2.21% a year), adding about 568,034 people a year against +531,626. Using continuous exponential growth from the stated base year, if these rates held, Malawi would overtake Burkina Faso in about 23 years (from the 2025 population bases, around 2048) — a projection, not a forecast. Malawi is 2.7× as densely populated (223.8 vs 84.2 people per km²). People in Malawi live 6.3 years longer on average (67.6 vs 61.3). GDP per capita is 1.7× higher in Burkina Faso ($1,148 vs $672).
Country/territory population bases: World Bank 2025 (Burkina Faso) and 2025 (Malawi); growth years 2025 / 2025. Annual source values, not live counts; years may differ. Growth is national, not local.
Burkina Faso vs Malawi — side by side
 Burkina Faso |  Malawi | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 24,074,5802025 | 22,216,1202025 |
| Growth rate / yr | +2.21%2025 | +2.56%2025 |
| Births per 1,000 | 31.32024 | 31.12024 |
| Deaths per 1,000 | 7.92024 | 5.32024 |
| Children per woman | 4.112024 | 3.592024 |
| Life expectancy | 61.3 yrs2024 | 67.6 yrs2024 |
| Aged 0–14 | 41.2%2025 | 40.1%2025 |
| Aged 65+ | 2.7%2025 | 2.6%2025 |
| Density | 84.2 /km²2023 | 223.8 /km²2023 |
| Area | 274,200 km²2023 | 118,480 km²2023 |
| Urban population | 28.9%2025 | 17.6%2025 |
| Net migration / yr | -27,1302025 | -5,6282025 |
| GDP per capita | $1,1482025 | $6722025 |
| Country population rank (available records) | #59 | #60 |
| Base / world population (World Bank 2025) | 0.29% | 0.27% |
Highlighted cell = the higher value (not "better"). Small print under each value is its own data year. Source: World Bank; country/territory population bases may have different years. These are not live counts.
Population since 1960
World Bank population history (not the separate UN WPP timeline). Burkina Faso: 5.0× from 1960 to 2025; Malawi: 6.1× from 1960 to 2025. Left: absolute population. Right: each series indexed to its own first available year = 100; baseline years may differ.
More comparisons
Region: Sub-Saharan Africa · rankings
Burkina Faso: Burkina Faso vs North Korea, Burkina Faso vs Syria, Burkina Faso vs Mali, Burkina Faso vs Malawi, Burkina Faso vs Zambia, Burkina Faso vs Sri Lanka.
Malawi: Malawi vs Syria, Malawi vs Mali, Malawi vs Burkina Faso, Malawi vs Zambia, Malawi vs Sri Lanka, Malawi vs Chad.
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This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.