Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malawi instead of India, you would:
Health
be 39.7% less likely to die by suicide
India has a suicide rate of 12.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malawi, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 31.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In India, 0.2% 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 India, the average life expectancy is 72 years (71 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 63.8% less spent on your healthcare
India spends $346 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malawi spends $125 as of 2023.
have 92.5% fewer doctors per person
India has 7.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Malawi has 0.5 as of 2022.
have 23.8% less access to essential health services
India scores 63 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malawi scores 48 as of 2021.
Economy
be 20.1% more likely to be unemployed
In India, 4.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malawi, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
make 75.2% less money
India has a GDP per capita of $2,702 as of 2025, while in Malawi, the GDP per capita is $672 as of 2025.
Life
have 94.9% more children
In India, there are approximately 16.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malawi, there are 31.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.8 times more likely to die during childbirth
In India, approximately 80.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malawi, 225.0 women do as of 2023.
be 13.9% less likely to be literate
In India, the literacy rate is 78.2% as of 2024. In Malawi, it is 67.3% as of 2021.
be 63.1% more likely to die during infancy
In India, approximately 23.3 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 84.3% less likely to have access to electricity
In India, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 99% 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 72.9% less likely to have internet access
In India, approximately 70.0% of the population has internet access as of 2025. In Malawi, about 19.0% do as of 2024.
be 23.7% less likely to have access to drinking water
In India, approximately 96% of people have access to drinking water (97% in urban areas, and 95% 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 32.9% less on education
India spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Malawi spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 95.5% more on healthcare
India spends 3.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malawi, that number is 6.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 31.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In India, road accidents kill 15.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malawi, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 73.7% less strain on fresh water
India withdraws 66% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malawi withdraws 18% as of 2022.
find 97.1% less home broadband
India has 3.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malawi has 0.1 as of 2024.
Environment
be 48.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In India, air pollution causes 83.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malawi, it causes 43.0 as of 2019.
emit 89.9% less CO2
India emits 2.2 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), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: India vs. Malawi
Malawi: At a glance
How big is Malawi compared to India? See an in-depth size comparison.