Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malawi instead of Benin, you would:
Health
live 6.6 years longer
In Benin, the average life expectancy is 61 years (60 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
be 34.7% less likely to be obese
In Benin, 12.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 8.0% of people as of 2024.
have 26.3% more access to essential health services
Benin scores 38 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malawi scores 48 as of 2021.
be 8.9 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Benin, 0.7% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 6.2% of people as of 2024.
have 75.0% fewer doctors per person
Benin has 2.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Malawi has 0.5 as of 2022.
Economy
be 3.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Benin, 1.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malawi, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
be 30.7% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Benin, 36.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Malawi, however, that number is 47.3% as of 2024.
make 59.5% less money
Benin has a GDP per capita of $1,658 as of 2025, while in Malawi, the GDP per capita is $672 as of 2025.
Life
be 56.6% less likely to die during childbirth
In Benin, approximately 518.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malawi, 225.0 women do as of 2023.
be 31.0% more likely to be literate
In Benin, the literacy rate is 51.4% as of 2022. In Malawi, it is 67.3% as of 2021.
be 15.9% less likely to die during infancy
In Benin, approximately 45.2 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 72.6% less likely to have access to electricity
In Benin, approximately 57% of people have electricity access (70% in urban areas, and 44% 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 44.2% less likely to have internet access
In Benin, approximately 34.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malawi, about 19.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 14.9% less on education
Benin spends 3.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Malawi spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 95.5% more on healthcare
Benin spends 3.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malawi, that number is 6.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 18.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Benin, road accidents kill 24.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malawi, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 67.9% less home broadband
Benin has 0.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malawi has 0.1 as of 2024.
live with 17.9 times more strain on fresh water
Benin withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malawi withdraws 18% as of 2022.
Environment
be 44.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Benin, air pollution causes 77.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malawi, it causes 43.0 as of 2019.
emit 55.1% less CO2
Benin emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malawi emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Benin vs. Malawi
Malawi: At a glance
How big is Malawi compared to Benin? See an in-depth size comparison.