Number of people with and without electricity access in Malawi
Malawi: Number of people with and without electricity access was 3.38 million people in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Number of people with and without electricity access in Malawi, 1992–2024
Source: Data compiled from multiple sources by the World Bank – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for number of people with and without electricity access in Malawi is 3.38 million people, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 33 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.6% on the previous year and up 70.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people with and without electricity access in Malawi peaked at 3.38 million people in 2024 and was at its lowest, 159,768 people, in 1993.
That places Malawi 125th out of 214 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Number of people with and without electricity access in Malawi, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 324,323 people | — |
| 1993 | 159,768 people | -50.7% |
| 1994 | 204,687 people | +28.1% |
| 1995 | 250,883 people | +22.6% |
| 1996 | 303,017 people | +20.8% |
| 1997 | 356,893 people | +17.8% |
| 1998 | 413,031 people | +15.7% |
| 1999 | 471,732 people | +14.2% |
| 2000 | 543,165 people | +15.1% |
| 2001 | 602,839 people | +11.0% |
| 2002 | 665,305 people | +10.4% |
| 2003 | 755,258 people | +13.5% |
| 2004 | 862,551 people | +14.2% |
| 2005 | 847,442 people | -1.8% |
| 2006 | 488,352 people | -42.4% |
| 2007 | 1.00 million people | +105.7% |
| 2008 | 1.09 million people | +8.5% |
| 2009 | 1.19 million people | +9.6% |
| 2010 | 1.29 million people | +8.0% |
| 2011 | 1.16 million people | -10.1% |
| 2012 | 1.16 million people | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 1.45 million people | +25.1% |
| 2014 | 1.98 million people | +36.0% |
| 2015 | 1.85 million people | -6.7% |
| 2016 | 1.93 million people | +4.7% |
| 2017 | 2.29 million people | +18.6% |
| 2018 | 3.34 million people | +45.6% |
| 2019 | 2.13 million people | -36.1% |
| 2020 | 2.25 million people | +5.4% |
| 2021 | 2.85 million people | +26.7% |
| 2022 | 2.88 million people | +1.2% |
| 2023 | 3.29 million people | +14.3% |
| 2024 | 3.38 million people | +2.6% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 3.38 million people is below the median for low income countries, which is 10.26 million people, 33% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 3.38 million people is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.45 million people, 62% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Number of people with and without electricity access in Malawi changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | +105.7% | 488,352 people | 1.00 million people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 310,542 people | 159,768 people | 471,732 people | 8 |
| 2000s | 805,457 people | 488,352 people | 1.19 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.86 million people | 1.16 million people | 3.34 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.93 million people | 2.25 million people | 3.38 million people | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 122 Mongolia 3.49 million people compare
- 123 Sierra Leone 3.39 million people compare
- 124 Uruguay 3.39 million people compare
- 126 Congo 3.36 million people compare
- 127 Puerto Rico 3.20 million people compare
- 128 Bosnia and Herzegovina 3.16 million people compare
More energy & mining data for Malawi
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 7.18 % change on previous year (2024)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Fuel imports 19.8% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people with and without electricity access in Malawi?
- Number of people with and without electricity access in Malawi was 3.38 million people in 2024, according to Data compiled from multiple sources by the World Bank – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of people with and without electricity access recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 3.38 million people in 2024.
- What is the lowest number of people with and without electricity access recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 159,768 people in 1993.
- How does Malawi rank for number of people with and without electricity access?
- Malawi ranks 125th out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
- Is number of people with and without electricity access rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 70.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Data compiled from multiple sources by the World Bank – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people with and without electricity access. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Access to electricity means having an electricity source that can provide very basic lighting, and charge a phone or power a radio for 4 hours per day.