Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Afghanistan instead of Malawi, you would:
Health
be 98.8% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Malawi, 8.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Afghanistan, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2020.
live 18.8 years less
In Malawi, the average life expectancy is 72 years (69 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022. In Afghanistan, that number is 54 years (52 years for men, 55 years for women) as of 2022.
Economy
make 33.3% more money
Malawi has a GDP per capita of $1,500 as of 2020, while in Afghanistan, the GDP per capita is $2,000 as of 2020.
pay a 33.3% lower top tax rate
Malawi has a top tax rate of 30.0% as of 2016. In Afghanistan, the top tax rate is 20.0% as of 2016.
be 17.2% more likely to be unemployed
In Malawi, 20.4% of adults are unemployed as of 2013. In Afghanistan, that number is 23.9% as of 2017.
Life
have 26.9% more children
In Malawi, there are approximately 27.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Afghanistan, there are 35.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
be 82.8% more likely to die during childbirth
In Malawi, approximately 349.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Afghanistan, 638.0 women do as of 2017.
be 39.9% less likely to be literate
In Malawi, the literacy rate is 62.1% as of 2015. In Afghanistan, it is 37.3% as of 2021.
be 3.1 times more likely to die during infancy
In Malawi, approximately 33.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Afghanistan, on the other hand, 104.9 children do as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 7.6 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Malawi, approximately 13% of people have electricity access (55% in urban areas, and 5% in rural areas) as of 2019. In Afghanistan, that number is 99% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 98% in rural areas) as of 2018.
be 28.6% more likely to have internet access
In Malawi, approximately 14.0% of the population has internet access as of 2019. In Afghanistan, about 18.0% do as of 2020.
be 16.8% less likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Malawi, approximately 92% of people have improved drinking water access (97% in urban areas, and 91% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Afghanistan, that number is 76% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 68% in rural areas) as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 10.3% more on education
Malawi spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Afghanistan spends 3.2% of total GDP on education as of 2019.
spend 78.4% more on healthcare
Malawi spends 7.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In Afghanistan, that number is 13.2% of GDP as of 2019.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: Malawi Revenue Authority, The World Factbook, Afghanistan Revenue Department.
Afghanistan: At a glance
How big is Afghanistan compared to Malawi? See an in-depth size comparison.