Malawi vs Zambia
Malawi has about the same population as Zambia: 22,216,120 vs 21,913,874, a gap of 302,246. Zambia is growing faster (+2.77% vs +2.56% a year), adding about 607,255 people a year against +568,034. Using continuous exponential growth from the stated base year, if these rates held, Zambia would overtake Malawi in about 6 years (from the 2025 population bases, around 2031) — a projection, not a forecast. Malawi is 8.0× as densely populated (223.8 vs 27.9 people per km²). People in Malawi live 1.0 years longer on average (67.6 vs 66.5). GDP per capita is 2.0× higher in Zambia ($1,318 vs $672).
Country/territory population bases: World Bank 2025 (Malawi) and 2025 (Zambia); growth years 2025 / 2025. Annual source values, not live counts; years may differ. Growth is national, not local.
Malawi vs Zambia — side by side
 Malawi |  Zambia | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 22,216,1202025 | 21,913,8742025 |
| Growth rate / yr | +2.56%2025 | +2.77%2025 |
| Births per 1,000 | 31.12024 | 32.72024 |
| Deaths per 1,000 | 5.32024 | 5.22024 |
| Children per woman | 3.592024 | 4.042024 |
| Life expectancy | 67.6 yrs2024 | 66.5 yrs2024 |
| Aged 0–14 | 40.1%2025 | 41.0%2025 |
| Aged 65+ | 2.6%2025 | 2.0%2025 |
| Density | 223.8 /km²2023 | 27.9 /km²2023 |
| Area | 118,480 km²2023 | 752,610 km²2023 |
| Urban population | 17.6%2025 | 45.9%2025 |
| Net migration / yr | -5,6282025 | +6,5622025 |
| GDP per capita | $6722025 | $1,3182025 |
| Country population rank (available records) | #60 | #61 |
| Base / world population (World Bank 2025) | 0.27% | 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). Malawi: 6.1× from 1960 to 2025; Zambia: 6.9× 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
Malawi: Malawi vs Syria, Malawi vs Mali, Malawi vs Burkina Faso, Malawi vs Zambia, Malawi vs Sri Lanka, Malawi vs Chad.
Zambia: Zambia vs Mali, Zambia vs Burkina Faso, Zambia vs Malawi, Zambia vs Sri Lanka, Zambia vs Chad, Zambia vs Kazakhstan.
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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.