Malawi: cities by population
Malawi has a population of 22,785,535 (UN estimate, 2026), with Lilongwe as its capital. The 37 largest of its 37 recorded towns and cities, ranked.
+101%
since 2000 (11,315,942)
+64%
projected by 2050 (37,361,683)
241
people per km²
Figures are the latest available in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), which draws on national censuses of varying dates — treat them as recent, not same-year. Country totals are UN World Population Prospects 2024 (medium variant) where the UN lists the country separately; the handful it reports under a parent state keep a GeoNames figure and are marked as such. Sources & method.
Largest cities in Malawi
| # | Place | Region | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lilongwe | Central Region | 1,115,815 |
| 2 | Blantyre | Southern Region | 902,588 |
| 3 | Mzuzu | Northern Region | 249,564 |
| 4 | Zomba | Southern Region | 118,440 |
| 5 | Karonga | Northern Region | 69,486 |
| 6 | Kasungu | Central Region | 66,152 |
| 7 | Mangochi | Southern Region | 60,338 |
| 8 | Salima | Central Region | 41,492 |
| 9 | Liwonde | Southern Region | 41,077 |
| 10 | Balaka | Southern Region | 40,950 |
| 11 | Dedza | Central Region | 34,882 |
| 12 | Nkhotakota | Central Region | 31,974 |
| 13 | Mchinji | Central Region | 31,592 |
| 14 | Nsanje | Southern Region | 30,276 |
| 15 | Mzimba | Northern Region | 29,432 |
| 16 | Mponela | Central Region | 27,681 |
| 17 | Rumphi | Northern Region | 25,216 |
| 18 | Ntcheu | Central Region | 23,956 |
| 19 | Mwanza | Southern Region | 20,345 |
| 20 | Chitipa | Northern Region | 20,011 |
| 21 | Monkey Bay | Southern Region | 16,867 |
| 22 | Mulanje | Southern Region | 16,672 |
| 23 | Nkhata Bay | Northern Region | 16,099 |
| 24 | Luchenza | Southern Region | 14,211 |
| 25 | Chipeni | Central Region | 10,553 |
| 26 | Thyolo | Southern Region | 8,845 |
| 27 | Dowa | Central Region | 8,047 |
| 28 | Ngabu | Southern Region | 7,931 |
| 29 | Ntchisi | Central Region | 7,918 |
| 30 | Likoma | Northern Region | 7,683 |
| 31 | Chipoka | Central Region | 7,212 |
| 32 | Phalombe | Southern Region | 7,040 |
| 33 | Chikwawa | Southern Region | 6,987 |
| 34 | Livingstonia | Northern Region | 5,552 |
| 35 | Chisumulu | Northern Region | 4,000 |
| 36 | Chiradzulu | Southern Region | 1,580 |
| 37 | Machinga | Southern Region | 1,418 |
Twenty years earlier: Malawi in the 2005 World Gazetteer — population then 11,166,595.
Common questions
What is the population of Malawi?
Malawi has a population of 22,785,535, the UN World Population Prospects estimate for 2026. The UN's medium-variant projection for 2050 is 37,361,683 — a forecast, not a measurement.
What is the capital of Malawi?
Lilongwe.