Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malawi instead of Belgium, you would:
Health
be 61.6% less likely to be obese
In Belgium, 20.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 8.0% of people as of 2024.
be 58.8% less likely to die by suicide
Belgium has a suicide rate of 18.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malawi, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 31.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Belgium, 0.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 6.2% of people as of 2024.
live 14.7 years less
In Belgium, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
see 98.3% less spent on your healthcare
Belgium spends $7,489 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malawi spends $125 as of 2023.
have 98.5% fewer doctors per person
Belgium has 35.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Malawi has 0.5 as of 2022.
have 44.2% less access to essential health services
Belgium scores 86 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malawi scores 48 as of 2021.
Economy
be 14.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Belgium, 5.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malawi, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
be 3.8 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Belgium, 12.3% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Malawi, however, that number is 47.3% as of 2024.
make 98.9% less money
Belgium has a GDP per capita of $60,750 as of 2025, while in Malawi, the GDP per capita is $672 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.4 times more children
In Belgium, there are approximately 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malawi, there are 31.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 56.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Belgium, approximately 4.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malawi, 225.0 women do as of 2023.
be 12.3 times more likely to die during infancy
In Belgium, approximately 3.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Malawi, on the other hand, 38.0 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 84.4% less likely to have access to electricity
In Belgium, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Malawi, that number is 16% of people on average (58% in urban areas, and 6% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 80.2% less likely to have internet access
In Belgium, approximately 95.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malawi, about 19.0% do as of 2024.
be 27.0% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Belgium, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 73% of people on average (86% in urban areas, and 70% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 56.2% less on education
Belgium spends 6.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Malawi spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 39.5% less on healthcare
Belgium spends 10.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malawi, that number is 6.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 4.4 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Belgium, road accidents kill 4.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malawi, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 66.9% less strain on fresh water
Belgium withdraws 53% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malawi withdraws 18% as of 2022.
find 99.8% less home broadband
Belgium has 44.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malawi has 0.1 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 97.0% less CO2
Belgium emits 7.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malawi emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.9 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Belgium, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malawi, it causes 43.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Belgium vs. Malawi
Malawi: At a glance
How big is Malawi compared to Belgium? See an in-depth size comparison.