Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malawi instead of Botswana, you would:
Health
be 59.3% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Botswana, 19.9% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Malawi, that number is 8.1% of people as of 2020.
live 6.8 years longer
In Botswana, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2022. In Malawi, that number is 72 years (69 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022.
be 69.3% less likely to be obese
In Botswana, 18.9% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Malawi, that number is 5.8% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 90.6% less money
Botswana has a GDP per capita of $16,000 as of 2020, while in Malawi, the GDP per capita is $1,500 as of 2020.
be 2.7 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Botswana, 19.3% live below the poverty line as of 2009. In Malawi, however, that number is 51.5% as of 2016.
pay a 20.0% higher top tax rate
Botswana has a top tax rate of 25.0% as of 2016. In Malawi, the top tax rate is 30.0% as of 2016.
Life
have 37.8% more children
In Botswana, there are approximately 20.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Malawi, there are 27.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
be 2.4 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Botswana, approximately 144.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Malawi, 349.0 women do as of 2017.
be 29.8% less likely to be literate
In Botswana, the literacy rate is 88.5% as of 2015. In Malawi, it is 62.1% as of 2015.
be 32.8% more likely to die during infancy
In Botswana, approximately 25.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Malawi, on the other hand, 33.4 children do as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 78.0% less likely to have access to electricity
In Botswana, approximately 59% of people have electricity access (71% in urban areas, and 29% in rural areas) as of 2019. In Malawi, that number is 13% of people on average (55% in urban areas, and 5% in rural areas) as of 2019.
be 78.1% less likely to have internet access
In Botswana, approximately 64.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In Malawi, about 14.0% do as of 2019.
Expenditures
spend 58.0% less on education
Botswana spends 6.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. Malawi spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 21.3% more on healthcare
Botswana spends 6.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In Malawi, that number is 7.4% of GDP as of 2019.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: Malawi Revenue Authority, The World Factbook, Botswana Unified Revenue Service.
Malawi: At a glance
How big is Malawi compared to Botswana? See an in-depth size comparison.