Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malawi instead of Eritrea, you would:
Health
see 44.8% more spent on your healthcare
Eritrea spends $87 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malawi spends $125 as of 2023.
be 42.8% less likely to die by suicide
Eritrea has a suicide rate of 13.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malawi, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 15.5 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Eritrea, 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 1.3 years less
In Eritrea, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 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 84.8% more likely to be obese
In Eritrea, 4.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 8.0% of people as of 2024.
have 38.6% fewer doctors per person
Eritrea has 0.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Malawi has 0.5 as of 2022.
Economy
be 15.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Eritrea, 6.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malawi, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
Life
be 22.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Eritrea, approximately 291.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malawi, 225.0 women do as of 2023.
be 12.1% less likely to be literate
In Eritrea, the literacy rate is 76.6% as of 2018. In Malawi, it is 67.3% as of 2021.
be 53.8% more likely to die during infancy
In Eritrea, approximately 24.7 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 71.3% less likely to have access to electricity
In Eritrea, approximately 54% of people have electricity access (77% in urban areas, and 37% 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 28.7% less likely to have internet access
In Eritrea, approximately 26.6% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Malawi, about 19.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 77.4% more on healthcare
Eritrea spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malawi, that number is 6.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 87.7% less likely to be murdered
Eritrea has a homicide rate of 14.6 per 100,000 people as of 2012. In Malawi, that number is 1.8 per 100,000 as of 2012.
be 14.1% more likely to die in a road accident
In Eritrea, road accidents kill 17.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malawi, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 47.1% less home broadband
Eritrea has 0.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Malawi has 0.1 as of 2024.
live with 56.5% more strain on fresh water
Eritrea withdraws 11% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malawi withdraws 18% as of 2022.
Environment
be 44.9% less likely to die from air pollution
In Eritrea, air pollution causes 78.0 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 (2012–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2018–2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Eritrea vs. Malawi
Malawi: At a glance
How big is Malawi compared to Eritrea? See an in-depth size comparison.