Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malawi instead of Bolivia, you would:
Health
be 73.1% less likely to be obese
In Bolivia, 29.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 8.0% of people as of 2024.
be 15.5 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Bolivia, 0.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 6.2% of people as of 2024.
live 1.2 years less
In Bolivia, the average life expectancy is 69 years (66 years for men, 71 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 83.4% less spent on your healthcare
Bolivia spends $756 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malawi spends $125 as of 2023.
have 95.8% fewer doctors per person
Bolivia has 12.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Malawi has 0.5 as of 2022.
have 26.2% less access to essential health services
Bolivia scores 65 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malawi scores 48 as of 2021.
be 80.2% more likely to die by suicide
Bolivia has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malawi, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 70.7% more likely to be unemployed
In Bolivia, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malawi, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
make 87.0% less money
Bolivia has a GDP per capita of $5,148 as of 2025, while in Malawi, the GDP per capita is $672 as of 2025.
Life
have 48.1% more children
In Bolivia, there are approximately 21.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malawi, there are 31.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 54.1% more likely to die during childbirth
In Bolivia, approximately 146.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malawi, 225.0 women do as of 2023.
be 30.4% less likely to be literate
In Bolivia, the literacy rate is 96.7% as of 2024. In Malawi, it is 67.3% as of 2021.
be 2.7 times more likely to die during infancy
In Bolivia, approximately 14.2 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 84.4% less likely to have access to electricity
In Bolivia, 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 76.2% less likely to have internet access
In Bolivia, approximately 79.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malawi, about 19.0% do as of 2024.
be 21.8% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Bolivia, approximately 93% of people have access to drinking water (99% in urban areas, and 79% 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 63.5% less on education
Bolivia spends 7.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Malawi spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Safety
be 14.8% more likely to die in a road accident
In Bolivia, road accidents kill 17.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malawi, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 99.3% less home broadband
Bolivia has 12.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malawi has 0.1 as of 2024.
live with 87.5 times more strain on fresh water
Bolivia withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malawi withdraws 18% as of 2022.
Environment
be 20.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Bolivia, air pollution causes 54.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malawi, it causes 43.0 as of 2019.
emit 90.4% less CO2
Bolivia emits 2.3 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: Bolivia vs. Malawi
Malawi: At a glance
How big is Malawi compared to Bolivia? See an in-depth size comparison.