Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malawi instead of Cambodia, you would:
Health
be 12.4 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Cambodia, 0.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 6.2% of people as of 2024.
live 3.3 years less
In Cambodia, the average life expectancy is 71 years (68 years for men, 73 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 62.6% more likely to be obese
In Cambodia, 4.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 8.0% of people as of 2024.
see 64.2% less spent on your healthcare
Cambodia spends $350 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malawi spends $125 as of 2023.
have 74.4% fewer doctors per person
Cambodia has 2.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2019. Malawi has 0.5 as of 2022.
have 17.2% less access to essential health services
Cambodia scores 58 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malawi scores 48 as of 2021.
be 68.2% more likely to die by suicide
Cambodia has a suicide rate of 4.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malawi, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 19.5 times more likely to be unemployed
In Cambodia, 0.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malawi, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
make 76.6% less money
Cambodia has a GDP per capita of $2,872 as of 2025, while in Malawi, the GDP per capita is $672 as of 2025.
Life
have 53.3% more children
In Cambodia, there are approximately 20.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malawi, there are 31.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 64.2% more likely to die during childbirth
In Cambodia, approximately 137.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malawi, 225.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.3 times more likely to die during infancy
In Cambodia, approximately 16.4 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 83.6% less likely to have access to electricity
In Cambodia, approximately 95% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 93% 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 72.3% less likely to have internet access
In Cambodia, approximately 68.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malawi, about 19.0% do as of 2024.
be 11.8% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Cambodia, approximately 83% of people have access to drinking water (94% 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 26.1% more on education
Cambodia spends 2.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Malawi spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 41.3% more on healthcare
Cambodia spends 4.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malawi, that number is 6.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 97.8% less home broadband
Cambodia has 4.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malawi has 0.1 as of 2024.
live with 16.8 times more strain on fresh water
Cambodia withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malawi withdraws 18% as of 2022.
Environment
be 28.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Cambodia, air pollution causes 60.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malawi, it causes 43.0 as of 2019.
emit 80.0% less CO2
Cambodia emits 1.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malawi emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Cambodia vs. Malawi
Malawi: At a glance
How big is Malawi compared to Cambodia? See an in-depth size comparison.