Which has higher rural population, Malawi or South Asia (IDA & IBRD)?

Malawi, at 82.4% against 64.2% in South Asia (IDA & IBRD) as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for Malawi and South Asia (IDA & IBRD)?

66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.

Where does this data come from?

World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as Rural population (% of total population). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Malawi vs South Asia (IDA & IBRD): Rural population (% of total population) (Rural World Urbanization)

Malawi

82.4%

in 2025

South Asia (IDA & IBRD)

64.2%

in 2025

Malawi rank

4th

South Asia (IDA & IBRD) rank

2nd

Rural population (% of total population) (Rural World Urbanization) over time

Malawi
South Asia (IDA & IBRD)

How they compare

Malawi currently reports 82.4% against 64.2% in South Asia (IDA & IBRD), a difference of 18.2%.

That makes Malawi's figure about 1.3 times South Asia (IDA & IBRD)'s.

Across all 66 years both countries report, Malawi has been ahead every year.

Malawi ranks 4th and South Asia (IDA & IBRD) ranks 2nd of 218 countries.

Malawi has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Malawi	South Asia (IDA & IBRD)	Difference	Ahead
1960s	95.4%	83.0%	12.4%	Malawi
1970s	92.5%	80.2%	12.4%	Malawi
1980s	89.9%	76.5%	13.4%	Malawi
1990s	86.7%	74.3%	12.4%	Malawi
2000s	84.9%	71.3%	13.6%	Malawi
2010s	84.2%	67.5%	16.7%	Malawi
2020s	83.1%	65.0%	18.1%	Malawi

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher rural population, Malawi or South Asia (IDA & IBRD)?: Malawi, at 82.4% against 64.2% in South Asia (IDA & IBRD) as of 2025.
What is the difference in rural population between Malawi and South Asia (IDA & IBRD)?: 18.2%, with Malawi ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Malawi and South Asia (IDA & IBRD)?: 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
How do Malawi and South Asia (IDA & IBRD) rank globally for rural population?: Malawi ranks 4th and South Asia (IDA & IBRD) ranks 2nd of 218 countries.
Where does this data come from?: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as Rural population (% of total population). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Malawi vs South Asia (IDA & IBRD): Rural population. Statizoid, drawing on World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Retrieved 24 October 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/compare/rural-population-percent-of-total-population/malawi/south-asia-ida-and-ibrd/

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<a href="https://agriculture.statizoid.com/compare/rural-population-percent-of-total-population/malawi/south-asia-ida-and-ibrd/">Malawi vs South Asia (IDA & IBRD): Rural population</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator: Rural population (% of total population)
Unit: % of total population
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN)
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 266 places, 17,556 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed: 15 October 2026

Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.