Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malawi instead of Laos, you would:
Health
be 12.9% less likely to be obese
In Laos, 9.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 8.0% of people as of 2024.
be 15.5 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Laos, 0.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 6.2% of people as of 2024.
live 1.7 years less
In Laos, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
have 83.7% fewer doctors per person
Laos has 3.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Malawi has 0.5 as of 2022.
be 65.3% more likely to die by suicide
Laos has a suicide rate of 4.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malawi, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 4.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Laos, 1.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malawi, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
be 3.2 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Laos, 15.0% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Malawi, however, that number is 47.3% as of 2024.
make 71.1% less money
Laos has a GDP per capita of $2,325 as of 2025, while in Malawi, the GDP per capita is $672 as of 2025.
Life
have 48.8% more children
In Laos, there are approximately 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malawi, there are 31.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Laos, approximately 112.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malawi, 225.0 women do as of 2023.
be 11.0% less likely to be literate
In Laos, the literacy rate is 75.6% as of 2023. In Malawi, it is 67.3% as of 2021.
be 39.7% more likely to die during infancy
In Laos, approximately 27.2 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 83.8% less likely to have access to electricity
In Laos, approximately 96% of people have electricity access (99% in urban areas, and 95% 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 71.1% less likely to have internet access
In Laos, approximately 65.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malawi, about 19.0% do as of 2024.
be 23.8% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Laos, approximately 96% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 93% 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 education
Laos spends 1.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Malawi spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 4.9 times more on healthcare
Laos spends 1.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malawi, that number is 6.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 23.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In Laos, road accidents kill 16.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malawi, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 96.7% less home broadband
Laos has 2.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Malawi has 0.1 as of 2024.
live with 3.7 times more strain on fresh water
Laos withdraws 5% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malawi withdraws 18% as of 2022.
Environment
be 37.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In Laos, air pollution causes 69.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malawi, it causes 43.0 as of 2019.
emit 93.4% less CO2
Laos emits 3.4 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: Laos vs. Malawi
Malawi: At a glance
How big is Malawi compared to Laos? See an in-depth size comparison.