Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malawi instead of Cameroon, you would:
Health
live 3.6 years longer
In Cameroon, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 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 50.1% less likely to be obese
In Cameroon, 16.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 8.0% of people as of 2024.
be 10.9% less likely to die by suicide
Cameroon has a suicide rate of 8.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malawi, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.5 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Cameroon, 2.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 6.2% of people as of 2024.
see 49.1% less spent on your healthcare
Cameroon spends $246 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malawi spends $125 as of 2023.
have 60.3% fewer doctors per person
Cameroon has 1.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Malawi has 0.5 as of 2022.
Economy
be 40.8% more likely to be unemployed
In Cameroon, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malawi, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
be 25.5% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Cameroon, 37.7% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Malawi, however, that number is 47.3% as of 2024.
make 66.0% less money
Cameroon has a GDP per capita of $1,972 as of 2025, while in Malawi, the GDP per capita is $672 as of 2025.
Basic Needs
be 78.3% less likely to have access to electricity
In Cameroon, approximately 72% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 26% 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 59.0% less likely to have internet access
In Cameroon, approximately 46.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malawi, about 19.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 43.5% more on healthcare
Cameroon spends 4.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malawi, that number is 6.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 90.6% more likely to die in a road accident
In Cameroon, road accidents kill 10.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malawi, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 95.8% less home broadband
Cameroon has 2.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Malawi has 0.1 as of 2024.
live with 11.2 times more strain on fresh water
Cameroon withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malawi withdraws 18% as of 2022.
Environment
be 57.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Cameroon, air pollution causes 101.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malawi, it causes 43.0 as of 2019.
emit 37.1% less CO2
Cameroon emits 0.3 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). How we calculate this
Compare further: Cameroon vs. Malawi
Malawi: At a glance
How big is Malawi compared to Cameroon? See an in-depth size comparison.