Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malawi instead of Burma, you would:
Health
be 6.9 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Burma, 0.9% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 6.2% of people as of 2024.
see 55.7% less spent on your healthcare
Burma spends $283 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malawi spends $125 as of 2023.
have 92.9% fewer doctors per person
Burma has 7.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2019. Malawi has 0.5 as of 2022.
be 2.6 times more likely to die by suicide
Burma has a suicide rate of 2.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malawi, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 66.2% more likely to be unemployed
In Burma, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malawi, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
make 54.9% less money
Burma has a GDP per capita of $1,489 as of 2025, while in Malawi, the GDP per capita is $672 as of 2025.
Life
have 89.2% more children
In Burma, there are approximately 16.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malawi, there are 31.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 21.6% more likely to die during childbirth
In Burma, approximately 185.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malawi, 225.0 women do as of 2023.
be 28.0% less likely to be literate
In Burma, the literacy rate is 93.5% as of 2020. In Malawi, it is 67.3% as of 2021.
be 15.9% more likely to die during infancy
In Burma, approximately 32.8 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 79.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Burma, approximately 77% of people have electricity access (95% in urban areas, and 69% 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 56.9% less likely to have internet access
In Burma, approximately 44.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Malawi, about 19.0% do as of 2024.
be 14.8% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Burma, approximately 86% of people have access to drinking water (96% in urban areas, and 81% 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 37.5% more on education
Burma spends 2.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. Malawi spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 46.4% more on healthcare
Burma spends 4.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malawi, that number is 6.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 96.9% less home broadband
Burma has 2.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malawi has 0.1 as of 2024.
live with 3.0 times more strain on fresh water
Burma withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malawi withdraws 18% as of 2022.
Environment
be 39.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Burma, air pollution causes 71.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malawi, it causes 43.0 as of 2019.
emit 62.1% less CO2
Burma emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malawi emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), The World Factbook (2021), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019). How we calculate this
Compare further: Burma vs. Malawi
Malawi: At a glance
How big is Malawi compared to Burma? See an in-depth size comparison.