Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Malawi instead of Cook Islands, you would:

Health

be 88.9% less likely to be obese

In Cook Islands, 72.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 8.0% of people as of 2024.

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live 9.6 years less

In Cook Islands, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2022. In Malawi, that number is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.

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have 96.0% fewer doctors per person

Cook Islands has 13.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2019. Malawi has 0.5 as of 2022.

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Life

have 2.6 times more children

In Cook Islands, there are approximately 12.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malawi, there are 31.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 2.4 times more likely to die during infancy

In Cook Islands, approximately 15.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Malawi, on the other hand, 38.0 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 70.7% less likely to have internet access

In Cook Islands, approximately 64.8% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Malawi, about 19.0% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 40.2% less on education

Cook Islands spends 4.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Malawi spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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spend 2.0 times more on healthcare

Cook Islands spends 3.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Malawi, that number is 6.5% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 48.6% less likely to be murdered

Cook Islands has a homicide rate of 3.5 per 100,000 people as of 2012. In Malawi, that number is 1.8 per 100,000 as of 2012.

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be 14.8% more likely to die in a road accident

In Cook Islands, road accidents kill 17.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malawi, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 99.5% less home broadband

Cook Islands has 18.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Malawi has 0.1 as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2022–2024), The World Factbook (2020–2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2012–2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Compare further: Cook Islands vs. Malawi

Cost of Living Comparison · 5 categories - 2026 data
Malawi is 40.1% cheaper than Cook Islands overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
Cook Islands is about 502 times smaller than Malawi.
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Moving from Cook Islands to Malawi · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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Malawi: At a glance

Malawi is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 94,080 sq km. Established in 1891, the British protectorate of Nyasaland became the independent nation of Malawi in 1964. After three decades of one-party rule under President Hastings Kamuzu BANDA the country held multiparty elections in 1994, under a provisional constitution that came into full effect the following year. President Bingu wa MUTHARIKA, elected in May 2004 after a failed attempt by the previous president to amend the constitution to permit another term, struggled to assert his authority against his predecessor and subsequently started his own party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in 2005. MUTHARIKA was reelected to a second term in May 2009. He oversaw some economic improvement in his first term, but was accused of economic mismanagement and poor governance in his second term. He died abruptly in April 2012 and was succeeded by his vice president, Joyce BANDA, who had earlier started her own party, the People's Party (PP). Population growth, increasing pressure on agricultural lands, corruption, and the scourge of HIV/AIDS pose major problems for Malawi.
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How big is Malawi compared to Cook Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.

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