Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malawi instead of El Salvador, you would:
Health
be 75.1% less likely to be obese
In El Salvador, 32.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 8.0% of people as of 2024.
be 15.5 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In El Salvador, 0.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 6.2% of people as of 2024.
live 4.7 years less
In El Salvador, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 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
El Salvador spends $1,176 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malawi spends $125 as of 2023.
have 96.7% fewer doctors per person
El Salvador has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Malawi has 0.5 as of 2022.
have 38.5% less access to essential health services
El Salvador scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malawi scores 48 as of 2021.
Economy
be 53.6% more likely to be unemployed
In El Salvador, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malawi, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
be 73.9% more likely to live below the poverty line
In El Salvador, 27.2% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Malawi, however, that number is 47.3% as of 2024.
make 88.4% less money
El Salvador has a GDP per capita of $5,767 as of 2025, while in Malawi, the GDP per capita is $672 as of 2025.
Life
have 99.6% more children
In El Salvador, there are approximately 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malawi, there are 31.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 5.8 times more likely to die during childbirth
In El Salvador, approximately 39.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malawi, 225.0 women do as of 2023.
be 25.0% less likely to be literate
In El Salvador, the literacy rate is 89.8% as of 2024. In Malawi, it is 67.3% as of 2021.
be 4.3 times more likely to die during infancy
In El Salvador, approximately 8.8 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 84.1% less likely to have access to electricity
In El Salvador, approximately 98% of people have electricity access (99% in urban areas, and 97% 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 71.5% less likely to have internet access
In El Salvador, approximately 66.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malawi, about 19.0% do as of 2024.
be 20.3% less likely to have access to drinking water
In El Salvador, approximately 92% of people have access to drinking water (95% in urban areas, and 80% 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 17.2% less on education
El Salvador spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Malawi spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 29.7% less on healthcare
El Salvador spends 9.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malawi, that number is 6.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 99.3% less home broadband
El Salvador has 12.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malawi has 0.1 as of 2024.
live with 44.7% more strain on fresh water
El Salvador withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malawi withdraws 18% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 85.4% less CO2
El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malawi emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 38.7% more likely to die from air pollution
In El Salvador, air pollution causes 31.0 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: El Salvador vs. Malawi
Malawi: At a glance
How big is Malawi compared to El Salvador? See an in-depth size comparison.