Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malawi instead of Dominican Republic, you would:
Health
be 74.0% less likely to be obese
In Dominican Republic, 30.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 8.0% of people as of 2024.
be 6.2 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Dominican Republic, 1.0% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 6.2% of people as of 2024.
live 6.3 years less
In Dominican Republic, the average life expectancy is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 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 89.3% less spent on your healthcare
Dominican Republic spends $1,169 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malawi spends $125 as of 2023.
have 97.8% fewer doctors per person
Dominican Republic has 24.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Malawi has 0.5 as of 2022.
have 37.7% less access to essential health services
Dominican Republic scores 77 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malawi scores 48 as of 2021.
be 80.2% more likely to die by suicide
Dominican Republic has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malawi, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.7 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Dominican Republic, 17.3% live below the poverty line as of 2025. In Malawi, however, that number is 47.3% as of 2024.
make 93.9% less money
Dominican Republic has a GDP per capita of $11,059 as of 2025, while in Malawi, the GDP per capita is $672 as of 2025.
Life
have 76.7% more children
In Dominican Republic, there are approximately 17.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malawi, there are 31.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 81.5% more likely to die during childbirth
In Dominican Republic, approximately 124.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malawi, 225.0 women do as of 2023.
be 28.4% less likely to be literate
In Dominican Republic, the literacy rate is 94.0% as of 2024. In Malawi, it is 67.3% as of 2021.
be 37.2% more likely to die during infancy
In Dominican Republic, approximately 27.7 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 84.3% less likely to have access to electricity
In Dominican Republic, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 98% 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 79.2% less likely to have internet access
In Dominican Republic, approximately 91.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malawi, about 19.0% do as of 2024.
be 25.0% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Dominican Republic, approximately 97% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 95% 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 26.9% less on education
Dominican Republic spends 3.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Malawi spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 42.0% more on healthcare
Dominican Republic spends 4.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malawi, that number is 6.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 26.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Dominican Republic, road accidents kill 27.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malawi, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 55.8% less strain on fresh water
Dominican Republic withdraws 40% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malawi withdraws 18% as of 2022.
find 99.2% less home broadband
Dominican Republic has 11.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malawi has 0.1 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 92.6% less CO2
Dominican Republic emits 3.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malawi emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 59.3% more likely to die from air pollution
In Dominican Republic, air pollution causes 27.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malawi, it causes 43.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Dominican Republic vs. Malawi
Malawi: At a glance
How big is Malawi compared to Dominican Republic? See an in-depth size comparison.