Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malawi instead of Jamaica, you would:
Health
be 77.3% less likely to be obese
In Jamaica, 35.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 8.0% of people as of 2024.
be 5.6 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Jamaica, 1.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 6.2% of people as of 2024.
live 4.0 years less
In Jamaica, the average life expectancy is 72 years (69 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 85.6% less spent on your healthcare
Jamaica spends $869 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malawi spends $125 as of 2023.
have 88.3% fewer doctors per person
Jamaica has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Malawi has 0.5 as of 2022.
have 35.1% less access to essential health services
Jamaica scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malawi scores 48 as of 2021.
be 4.5 times more likely to die by suicide
Jamaica has a suicide rate of 1.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malawi, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 54.1% more likely to be unemployed
In Jamaica, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malawi, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
be 6.1 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Jamaica, 7.8% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Malawi, however, that number is 47.3% as of 2024.
make 91.6% less money
Jamaica has a GDP per capita of $8,003 as of 2025, while in Malawi, the GDP per capita is $672 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.7 times more children
In Jamaica, there are approximately 11.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malawi, there are 31.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 73.1% more likely to die during childbirth
In Jamaica, approximately 130.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malawi, 225.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.3 times more likely to die during infancy
In Jamaica, approximately 16.4 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 84.0% less likely to have access to electricity
In Jamaica, approximately 98% of people have electricity access (99% in urban areas, and 96% 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 79.0% less likely to have internet access
In Jamaica, approximately 90.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malawi, about 19.0% do as of 2024.
be 16.6% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Jamaica, approximately 88% of people have access to drinking water (90% in urban areas, and 84% 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 50.1% less on education
Jamaica spends 5.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Malawi spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 14.1% less on healthcare
Jamaica spends 7.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malawi, that number is 6.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 13.5% more likely to die in a road accident
In Jamaica, road accidents kill 17.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malawi, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 99.4% less home broadband
Jamaica has 16.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malawi has 0.1 as of 2024.
live with 41.4% more strain on fresh water
Jamaica withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malawi withdraws 18% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 92.3% less CO2
Jamaica emits 2.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malawi emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 95.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Jamaica, air pollution causes 22.0 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 (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Jamaica vs. Malawi
Malawi: At a glance
How big is Malawi compared to Jamaica? See an in-depth size comparison.