According to the 2018 census, 42.28% of Lilongwe City was Chewa which made up the largest ethnic group. The largest ethnic minority group in the city was Ngoni with 17.13% of the population belonging to that ethnic group. Other minor ethnic groups were Lomwe with 14.48% of the population, Yao with 12.11%, Tumbuka with 6.46%, Mang'anja with 1.86%, Sena with 1.78%, Tonga with 1.56%, Nyanja with 0.67%, Nkhonde with 0.63%, Lambya with 0.35%, Sukwa with only 0.04%, and the remaining ethnic groups with 0.64% of the population.