Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Afghanistan instead of Malawi, you would:
Health
be 98.4% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Malawi, 6.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Afghanistan, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.
see 2.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Malawi spends $125 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Afghanistan spends $330 as of 2023.
have 5.9 times more doctors per person
Malawi has 0.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Afghanistan has 3.2 as of 2023.
be 52.4% less likely to die by suicide
Malawi has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Afghanistan, it is 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 1.3 years less
In Malawi, the average life expectancy is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Afghanistan, that number is 66 years (65 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.
be 2.6 times more likely to be obese
In Malawi, 8.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Afghanistan, that number is 20.6% of people as of 2024.
have 14.6% less access to essential health services
Malawi scores 48 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Afghanistan scores 41 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.6 times more likely to be unemployed
In Malawi, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Afghanistan, that number is 13.3% as of 2025.
make 37.9% less money
Malawi has a GDP per capita of $672 as of 2025, while in Afghanistan, the GDP per capita is $417 as of 2024.
Life
have 12.4% more children
In Malawi, there are approximately 31.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Afghanistan, there are 35.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.3 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Malawi, approximately 225.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Afghanistan, 521.0 women do as of 2023.
be 44.6% less likely to be literate
In Malawi, the literacy rate is 67.3% as of 2021. In Afghanistan, it is 37.3% as of 2021.
be 27.1% more likely to die during infancy
In Malawi, approximately 38.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Afghanistan, on the other hand, 48.3 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 5.5 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Malawi, approximately 16% of people have electricity access (58% in urban areas, and 6% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Afghanistan, that number is 85% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 81% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 10.7% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Malawi, approximately 73% of people have access to drinking water (86% in urban areas, and 70% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Afghanistan, that number is 81% of people on average (97% in urban areas, and 75% in rural areas) as of 2024.
be 15.1% less likely to have internet access
In Malawi, approximately 19.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Afghanistan, about 16.1% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.3 times more on healthcare
Malawi spends 6.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Afghanistan, that number is 15.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 19.3% more likely to die in a road accident
In Malawi, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Afghanistan, they kill 24.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 11.1% less home broadband
Malawi has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Afghanistan has 0.1 as of 2023.
live with 3.1 times more strain on fresh water
Malawi withdraws 18% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Afghanistan withdraws 55% as of 2022.
Environment
be 3.3 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Malawi, air pollution causes 43.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Afghanistan, it causes 143.0 as of 2019.
emit 27.3% more CO2
Malawi emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Afghanistan emits 0.3 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: Malawi vs. Afghanistan
Afghanistan: At a glance
How big is Afghanistan compared to Malawi? See an in-depth size comparison.