What share of Malawi's population lives in Lilongwe?

That is about 5.5% of Malawi's 2022 population as estimated by the World Bank (20.57 million).

Lilongwe: population and official figures

Population (city proper)

1,126,143

1 July 2022

Area (km²)

403

1 July 2022

What is the population of Lilongwe?

Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi, had 1,126,143 inhabitants (city proper) on 1 July 2022, according to an official estimate (usual residents) reported to the United Nations.

Source: United Nations Statistics Division · saved copy

How does Lilongwe rank among cities in Malawi?

Of the 4 cities the UN table lists for Malawi (capitals and places of 100,000 or more), it is the largest.

Source: United Nations Statistics Division · saved copy

How many women and men live in Lilongwe?

Women and girls made up 50.0% of residents (563,041 female, 563,102 male).

Source: United Nations Statistics Division · saved copy

How big is Lilongwe?

It covers 403 km², about 2,794 people per km².

Source: United Nations Statistics Division · saved copy

Notes from the UN table: Data refer to national projections. Data refer to national projections. Data refer to national projections.

The UN marks this figure as an estimate of lower reliability.

Who runs Lilongwe?

In Malawi, cities and towns are run by local councils: One councillor elected per ward for five years; traditional authorities, sub-traditional authorities and MPs sit as non-voting members; five more non-voting members are appointed for special interests; council elects a chair (called mayor in cities and municipalities). Local planning, primary schools and health services, markets, roads and local development.

How local power works in Malawi

Cities of a similar size in Malawi

Blantyre City 858,076

Up a level: all cities in Malawi · Malawi · government and power

Sources

United Nations Statistics Division: Demographic Yearbook 2024, Table 8: Population of capital cities and cities of 100 000 or more inhabitants, latest available year, 2005-2024, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0c6784df022e…)
United Nations Statistics Division: Demographic Yearbook 2024, technical notes to Table 8, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 b0d2d6d8ccd6…)

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