Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malawi instead of Gabon, you would:
Health
be 64.7% less likely to be obese
In Gabon, 22.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 8.0% of people as of 2024.
be 2.2 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Gabon, 2.8% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 6.2% of people as of 2024.
live 1.0 years less
In Gabon, the average life expectancy is 69 years (66 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.
see 81.4% less spent on your healthcare
Gabon spends $673 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malawi spends $125 as of 2023.
have 89.6% fewer doctors per person
Gabon has 5.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Malawi has 0.5 as of 2022.
Economy
be 74.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Gabon, 20.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malawi, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
make 91.9% less money
Gabon has a GDP per capita of $8,263 as of 2025, while in Malawi, the GDP per capita is $672 as of 2025.
Life
have 14.8% more children
In Gabon, there are approximately 27.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malawi, there are 31.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 24.3% less likely to be literate
In Gabon, the literacy rate is 88.9% as of 2021. In Malawi, it is 67.3% as of 2021.
be 46.7% more likely to die during infancy
In Gabon, approximately 25.9 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 83.4% less likely to have access to electricity
In Gabon, approximately 94% of people have electricity access (99% in urban areas, and 29% 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 72.4% less likely to have internet access
In Gabon, approximately 68.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malawi, about 19.0% do as of 2024.
be 17.6% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Gabon, approximately 89% of people have access to drinking water (92% in urban areas, and 49% 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 18.5% more on education
Gabon spends 2.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Malawi spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 2.1 times more on healthcare
Gabon spends 3.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malawi, that number is 6.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 61.6% more likely to die in a road accident
In Gabon, road accidents kill 12.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malawi, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 98.1% less home broadband
Gabon has 4.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malawi has 0.1 as of 2024.
live with 35.0 times more strain on fresh water
Gabon withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malawi withdraws 18% as of 2022.
Environment
be 18.9% less likely to die from air pollution
In Gabon, air pollution causes 53.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malawi, it causes 43.0 as of 2019.
emit 89.3% less CO2
Gabon emits 2.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malawi emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
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: Gabon vs. Malawi
Malawi: At a glance
How big is Malawi compared to Gabon? See an in-depth size comparison.