Malawi
Capital: Lilongwe · Low income · Pop. 21.7 million
Source: World Bank Open Data (WHO/UNICEF JMP & FAO AQUASTAT) · drinking water 2024
In Malawi, 18.18% of the population uses safely managed drinking water — an improved source, located on premises, available when needed, and free from contamination (2024 estimate). That leaves roughly 17.7 million people without safely managed drinking water at home.
Sanitation tracks closely: 46.15% use safely managed sanitation services and 49.23% have at least a basic service (2024).
Malawi has about 785 cubic meters of renewable internal freshwater per person each year — below the ~1,000 m³ threshold widely used to define water scarcity. It withdraws the equivalent of 8% of those internal resources annually (low water stress).
Agriculture accounts for about 86% of Malawi's water withdrawals, the rest going to households and industry.
Common questions
How many people in Malawi have safe drinking water?
18.18% of Malawi's population uses safely managed drinking water (2024), per WHO/UNICEF data; about 17.7 million people do not.
Does Malawi have enough freshwater?
Malawi has roughly 785 m³ of renewable internal freshwater per person per year, and uses about 8% of it annually (low stress).