Malawi's cities at a glance
Dots sized by population · Lilongwe in orange
Malawi has 1 city with more than a million inhabitants and 4 with more than 100,000 (city-proper figures). The largest is Lilongwe with 1,115,815 people, followed by Blantyre (902,588) and Mzuzu (249,564). The three largest cities together hold about 9.9% of the country's 23 million people.
The capital, Lilongwe, is also the largest city.
By region, the most large cities are in Southern Region (9), Central Region (8), Northern Region (6).
Country-level figures — live population, births and deaths, growth, density and history — are on the Malawi population page; provinces, terrain, rivers and society maps are in the Malawi atlas.
Malawi cities by population
| # | City | Region | Population | Share of Malawi |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LilongweCapital | Central Region | 1,115,815 | 4.9% |
| 2 | Blantyre | Southern Region | 902,588 | 3.9% |
| 3 | Mzuzu | Northern Region | 249,564 | 1.1% |
| 4 | Zomba | Southern Region | 118,440 | 0.5% |
| 5 | Karonga | Northern Region | 69,486 | 0.3% |
| 6 | Kasungu | Central Region | 66,152 | 0.3% |
| 7 | Mangochi | Southern Region | 60,338 | 0.3% |
| 8 | Salima | Central Region | 41,492 | 0.2% |
| 9 | Liwonde | Southern Region | 41,077 | 0.2% |
| 10 | Balaka | Southern Region | 40,950 | 0.2% |
| 11 | Dedza | Central Region | 34,882 | 0.2% |
| 12 | Nkhotakota | Central Region | 31,974 | 0.1% |
| 13 | Mchinji | Central Region | 31,592 | 0.1% |
| 14 | Nsanje | Southern Region | 30,276 | 0.1% |
| 15 | Mzimba | Northern Region | 29,432 | 0.1% |
| 16 | Mponela | Central Region | 27,681 | 0.1% |
| 17 | Rumphi | Northern Region | 25,216 | 0.1% |
| 18 | Ntcheu | Central Region | 23,956 | 0.1% |
| 19 | Mwanza | Southern Region | 20,345 | 0.1% |
| 20 | Chitipa | Northern Region | 20,011 | 0.1% |
| 21 | Monkey Bay | Southern Region | 16,867 | 0.1% |
| 22 | Mulanje | Southern Region | 16,672 | 0.1% |
| 23 | Nkhata Bay | Northern Region | 16,099 | 0.1% |
Cities with 300,000 or more people link to their own page. The list keeps every city of 100,000+ and at least the 30 largest places of the country.
Frequently asked questions
What is the largest city in Malawi?
Lilongwe, with about 1,115,815 inhabitants (city proper).
What is the capital of Malawi?
Lilongwe — population 1,115,815, the largest city in the country.
How many cities in Malawi have over one million people?
1: Lilongwe.
Are these metropolitan-area populations?
No. They are city-proper figures (the administrative city) from GeoNames, based on the latest census or official estimate. Metropolitan areas, which include suburbs and satellite towns, are larger — often several times larger for the biggest cities.
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SudanCite or link to this page
Glostats. (2026). Largest Cities in Malawi 2026: Population Ranking. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://glostats.com/cities/malawi/<a href="https://glostats.com/cities/malawi/">Largest Cities in Malawi 2026: Population Ranking</a> — GlostatsFigures on this page may be quoted, charted or republished as long as the page is credited with a link. Terms · Download the data as CSV · Embed a live counter.
City populations are GeoNames figures (CC BY 4.0): the latest official census or estimate for the city proper — the municipality, not the wider metropolitan area — so they can differ from "metro area" numbers you see elsewhere. Country populations are live Glostats estimates from the UN World Population Prospects. Page generated 2026-10-20. More about our data.