Malawi: cities by population
Malawi has a population of 17,563,749, with Lilongwe as its capital. The 37 largest of its 37 recorded towns and cities, ranked.
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 GeoNames country data. Sources & method.
| # | 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.