Malawi vs Zambia
Zambia is 6.35 times larger than Malawi. Malawi would fit into Zambia about 6.4 times.
MalawiZambiaMalawi moved onto Zambia · Equal-area projection
0.16×
Malawi is 0.16× the area of Zambia. Put the other way, Zambia is 6.35× the size of Malawi.
 Malawi |  Zambia | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaZambia: 6.35× the area | 118,484 km²#98 of 194 | 752,618 km²#38 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 3 | 7 |
| People | ||
| PopulationAbout the same population | 22,216,120#61 of 194 · 2025 | 21,913,874#62 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityMalawi: 6.44× the density | 188 / km²#52 of 194 | 29 / km²#153 of 194 |
| Urban populationZambia: 2.61× the urban share | 18%#189 of 192 · 2025 | 46%#135 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateZambia: 1.13× the births per woman | 3.59 per woman#40 of 192 · 2024 | 4.04 per woman#25 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthZambia: 0.21 points higher | +2.56%#22 of 192 · 2025 | +2.77%#19 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateZambia: 1.05× the birth rate | 31.1 per 1,000#26 of 192 · 2024 | 32.7 per 1,000#19 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateAbout the same death rate | 5.3 per 1,000#162 of 192 · 2024 | 5.2 per 1,000#166 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Zambia: 0.9 points higher | 40.1%#25 of 192 · 2025 | 41.0%#17 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Malawi: 0.6 points higher | 2.6%#180 of 192 · 2025 | 2.0%#190 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationZambia: 0.6 per 1,000 higher | −0.3 per 1,000#89 of 192 · 2025 | +0.3 per 1,000#64 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadAbout as many refugees for its size | 0.02 per 1,000#145 of 190 · 2025 | 0.02 per 1,000#145 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyMalawi: 1.1 years longer | 67.6 years#146 of 192 · 2024 | 66.5 years#156 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityMalawi: 1.1× the infant mortality | 38.0 per 1,000 births#29 of 191 · 2024 | 34.6 per 1,000 births#34 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsZambia: 6.4× the doctors per person | 0.05 per 1,000#176 of 178 · 2022 | 0.32 per 1,000#136 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolment | 2.7%#144 of 145 · 2022 | — |
| Human Development IndexZambia: 0.078 higher | 0.517#169 of 190 · 2023 | 0.595#151 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaZambia: 2.0× the income per person | $600#180 of 185 · 2025 | $1,200#164 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPZambia: 1.94× the economy | $14.92B2025 | $28.88B2025 |
| Income group | Low income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Zambia: 2.31× the output per person | $1,899#180 of 184 · 2025 | $4,379#158 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthZambia: 1.9 points higher | +1.9%#134 of 187 · 2025 | +3.8%#75 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationMalawi: 14.5 points higher | +28.4%#9 of 176 · 2025 | +13.9%#16 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentZambia: 1.16× the unemployment | 5.1%#88 of 178 · 2025 | 5.9%#74 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyMalawi: 1.05× the share in extreme poverty | 75.4%#4 of 149 · 2019 | 71.7%#6 of 149 · 2022 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Zambia: 13.0 higher | 38.5#47 of 149 · 2019 | 51.5#6 of 149 · 2022 |
| Jobs in agricultureMalawi: 10.5 points higher | 65.0% of jobs#8 of 178 · 2025 | 54.5% of jobs#18 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryZambia: 3.0 points higher | 7.3% of jobs#170 of 178 · 2025 | 10.3% of jobs#154 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesZambia: 7.5 points higher | 27.7% of jobs#169 of 178 · 2025 | 35.2% of jobs#156 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentZambia: 0.9 points higher | 3.6% of GDP#55 of 184 · 2025 | 4.5% of GDP#41 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsZambia: 24.4 points higher | 10.6% of GDP#160 of 168 · 2025 | 35.0% of GDP#85 of 168 · 2024 |
| Military spendingZambia: 1.1× the military spending | 1.1% of GDP#105 of 155 · 2025 | 1.3% of GDP#101 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersMalawi: 1.11× the share online | 19%#174 of 184 · 2024 | 17%#177 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsZambia: 1.58× the mobile subscriptions | 69 per 100#165 of 191 · 2024 | 109 per 100#112 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaZambia: 2.75× the forest share | 22% of land#116 of 192 · 2024 | 61% of land#27 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personZambia: 2.45× the CO₂ per person | 0.22 t a year#167 of 185 · 2024 | 0.54 t a year#147 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyZambia: 20.1 points higher | 62.9%#33 of 190 · 2022 | 83.0%#10 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityZambia: 38.0 points higher | 15.6%#190 of 192 · 2024 | 53.6%#174 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Zambia: 1.21× the air pollution | 16.7 µg/m³#102 of 191 · 2023 | 20.2 µg/m³#80 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landZambia: 18.2 points higher | 23.1% of land#57 of 191 · 2025 | 41.3% of land#7 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landMalawi: 37.3 points higher | 42.4% of land#12 of 190 · 2024 | 5.1% of land#130 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressMalawi: 6.25× the water stress | 17.5%#71 of 176 · 2022 | 2.8%#140 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationMalawi: 1.16× the rain and snow | 1,181 mm#76 of 180 · 2022 | 1,020 mm#94 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityZambia: 0.10 higher | −0.16#115 of 193 · 2025 | −0.06#109 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionZambia: 0.20 higher | −0.66#129 of 193 · 2025 | −0.46#116 of 193 · 2025 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Presidential republic |
| Capital | Lilongwe | Lusaka |
| Currency | Malawian kwacha (MWK) | Zambian Kwacha (ZMW) |
| Official languages | English, Chewa, Tumbuka | English |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC+2 | UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +265 | +260 |
| Region | Eastern Africa, Africa | Eastern Africa, Africa |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Malawi sits at about 13° S and is stretched to 1.06× its true area; Zambia at 13° S is stretched to 1.06×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Malawi bigger than Zambia?
- No. Malawi is 6.35 times smaller than Zambia. Malawi covers 118,484 km² and Zambia covers 752,618 km².
- How many times does Malawi fit into Zambia?
- About 6.4 times: Zambia has 6.35× the area of Malawi.
- Why do Malawi and Zambia look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Malawi is drawn about 1.06× its true area there and Zambia about 1.06×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Malawi or Zambia?
- Malawi: 22,216,120 people against 21,913,874. Density: Malawi 188 per km², Zambia 29 per km².
- Which is richer, Malawi or Zambia?
- By gross national income per person, Zambia: $1,200 against $600 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 2.0× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Malawi or Zambia?
- In Malawi: life expectancy at birth is 67.6 years, against 66.5 — 1.1 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Malawi and Zambia have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: presidential republic (CIA World Factbook).