Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malawi instead of Guyana, you would:
Health
be 73.4% less likely to be obese
In Guyana, 30.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 8.0% of people as of 2024.
be 69.5% less likely to die by suicide
Guyana has a suicide rate of 24.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malawi, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 3.9 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Guyana, 1.6% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 6.2% of people as of 2024.
live 2.8 years less
In Guyana, the average life expectancy is 70 years (67 years for men, 74 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 90.6% less spent on your healthcare
Guyana spends $1,331 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malawi spends $125 as of 2023.
have 96.1% fewer doctors per person
Guyana has 13.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Malawi has 0.5 as of 2022.
have 36.8% less access to essential health services
Guyana scores 76 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malawi scores 48 as of 2021.
Economy
be 57.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Guyana, 12.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malawi, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
make 97.9% less money
Guyana has a GDP per capita of $32,414 as of 2025, while in Malawi, the GDP per capita is $672 as of 2025.
Life
have 56.6% more children
In Guyana, there are approximately 19.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malawi, there are 31.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Guyana, approximately 75.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malawi, 225.0 women do as of 2023.
be 24.2% less likely to be literate
In Guyana, the literacy rate is 88.8% as of 2021. In Malawi, it is 67.3% as of 2021.
be 63.8% more likely to die during infancy
In Guyana, approximately 23.2 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 84.2% less likely to have access to electricity
In Guyana, approximately 99% of people have electricity access (99% in urban areas, and 92% 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 77.2% less likely to have internet access
In Guyana, approximately 83.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malawi, about 19.0% do as of 2024.
be 23.6% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Guyana, approximately 96% of people have access to drinking water (95% in urban areas, and 96% 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 2.6 times more on healthcare
Guyana spends 2.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malawi, that number is 6.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 32.9% more likely to die in a road accident
In Guyana, road accidents kill 15.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malawi, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 99.3% less home broadband
Guyana has 12.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Malawi has 0.1 as of 2024.
live with 5.3 times more strain on fresh water
Guyana withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malawi withdraws 18% as of 2022.
Environment
be 17.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Guyana, air pollution causes 52.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malawi, it causes 43.0 as of 2019.
emit 95.2% less CO2
Guyana emits 4.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malawi emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Guyana vs. Malawi
Malawi: At a glance
How big is Malawi compared to Guyana? See an in-depth size comparison.