Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malawi instead of Costa Rica, you would:
Health
be 75.5% less likely to be obese
In Costa Rica, 32.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 8.0% of people as of 2024.
be 10.3 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Costa Rica, 0.6% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 6.2% of people as of 2024.
live 13.4 years less
In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
see 93.5% less spent on your healthcare
Costa Rica spends $1,928 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malawi spends $125 as of 2023.
have 98.0% fewer doctors per person
Costa Rica has 26.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Malawi has 0.5 as of 2022.
have 40.7% less access to essential health services
Costa Rica scores 81 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malawi scores 48 as of 2021.
Economy
be 25.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Costa Rica, 6.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malawi, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
be 2.8 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Costa Rica, 17.1% live below the poverty line as of 2025. In Malawi, however, that number is 47.3% as of 2024.
make 96.6% less money
Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $19,970 as of 2025, while in Malawi, the GDP per capita is $672 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.1 times more children
In Costa Rica, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malawi, there are 31.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 9.4 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Costa Rica, approximately 24.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malawi, 225.0 women do as of 2023.
be 31.3% less likely to be literate
In Costa Rica, the literacy rate is 98.0% as of 2021. In Malawi, it is 67.3% as of 2021.
be 4.2 times more likely to die during infancy
In Costa Rica, approximately 9.1 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 84.4% less likely to have access to electricity
In Costa Rica, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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 78.2% less likely to have internet access
In Costa Rica, approximately 87.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malawi, about 19.0% do as of 2024.
be 26.8% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Costa Rica, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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 48.2% less on education
Costa Rica spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Malawi spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Safety
be 30.3% more likely to die in a road accident
In Costa Rica, road accidents kill 15.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malawi, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 99.6% less home broadband
Costa Rica has 23.3 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
Costa Rica withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malawi withdraws 18% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 86.5% less CO2
Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malawi emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.9 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Costa Rica, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malawi, it causes 43.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Costa Rica vs. Malawi
Malawi: At a glance
How big is Malawi compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.