Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malawi instead of Ghana, you would:
Health
live 1.9 years longer
In Ghana, the average life expectancy is 66 years (63 years for men, 68 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 45.0% less likely to be obese
In Ghana, 14.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 8.0% of people as of 2024.
be 4.1 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Ghana, 1.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 6.2% of people as of 2024.
see 46.5% less spent on your healthcare
Ghana spends $234 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malawi spends $125 as of 2023.
have 79.7% fewer doctors per person
Ghana has 2.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Malawi has 0.5 as of 2022.
be 42.3% more likely to die by suicide
Ghana has a suicide rate of 5.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malawi, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 70.1% more likely to be unemployed
In Ghana, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malawi, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
make 79.4% less money
Ghana has a GDP per capita of $3,257 as of 2025, while in Malawi, the GDP per capita is $672 as of 2025.
Life
have 20.1% more children
In Ghana, there are approximately 25.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malawi, there are 31.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 12.0% less likely to be literate
In Ghana, the literacy rate is 76.5% as of 2021. In Malawi, it is 67.3% as of 2021.
be 38.2% more likely to die during infancy
In Ghana, approximately 27.5 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 82.6% less likely to have access to electricity
In Ghana, approximately 90% of people have electricity access (98% in urban areas, and 78% 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 73.7% less likely to have internet access
In Ghana, approximately 72.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malawi, about 19.0% do as of 2024.
be 18.8% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Ghana, approximately 90% of people have access to drinking water (99% in urban areas, and 76% 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 2.2 times more on healthcare
Ghana spends 3.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malawi, that number is 6.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 22.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Ghana, road accidents kill 25.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malawi, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 86.4% less home broadband
Ghana has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malawi has 0.1 as of 2024.
live with 2.8 times more strain on fresh water
Ghana withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malawi withdraws 18% as of 2022.
Environment
be 51.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In Ghana, air pollution causes 89.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malawi, it causes 43.0 as of 2019.
emit 68.6% less CO2
Ghana emits 0.7 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: Ghana vs. Malawi
Malawi: At a glance
How big is Malawi compared to Ghana? See an in-depth size comparison.