If you lived in Bahrain 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 Bahrain, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.

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live 13.9 years longer

In Malawi, the average life expectancy is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Bahrain, that number is 81 years (81 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 20.4 times more spent on your healthcare

Malawi spends $125 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Bahrain spends $2,555 as of 2023.

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have 13.7 times more doctors per person

Malawi has 0.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Bahrain has 7.4 as of 2020.

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have 58.3% more access to essential health services

Malawi scores 48 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Bahrain scores 76 as of 2021.

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be 38.4% less likely to die by suicide

Malawi has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Bahrain, it is 4.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 4.4 times more likely to be obese

In Malawi, 8.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Bahrain, that number is 34.9% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

be 78.3% less likely to be unemployed

In Malawi, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Bahrain, that number is 1.1% as of 2025.

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make 45.6 times more money

Malawi has a GDP per capita of $672 as of 2025, while in Bahrain, the GDP per capita is $30,597 as of 2025.

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Life

be 92.4% less 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 Bahrain, 17.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 45.3% more likely to be literate

In Malawi, the literacy rate is 67.3% as of 2021. In Bahrain, it is 97.8% as of 2024.

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be 80.8% less 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 Bahrain, on the other hand, 7.3 children do as of 2024.

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have 61.4% fewer children

In Malawi, there are approximately 31.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Bahrain, there are 12.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 6.4 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 Bahrain, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 5.3 times more likely to have internet access

In Malawi, approximately 19.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Bahrain, about 100.0% do as of 2024.

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be 36.8% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Malawi, approximately 73% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Bahrain, 100% of people do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 31.3% less on education

Malawi spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Bahrain spends 1.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 38.7% less on healthcare

Malawi spends 6.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Bahrain, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 59.9% less likely to die in a road accident

In Malawi, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Bahrain, they kill 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 188.8 times more home broadband

Malawi has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Bahrain has 17.0 as of 2024.

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live with 7.6 times more strain on fresh water

Malawi withdraws 18% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Bahrain withdraws 134% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 58.1% more likely to die from air pollution

In Malawi, air pollution causes 43.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Bahrain, it causes 68.0 as of 2019.

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emit 108.6 times more CO2

Malawi emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Bahrain emits 23.9 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this

Bahrain: At a glance

Bahrain is a sovereign country in Middle East, with a total land area of approximately 760 sq km. In 1783, the Sunni Al-Khalifa family took power in Bahrain. In order to secure these holdings, it entered into a series of treaties with the UK during the 19th century that made Bahrain a British protectorate. The archipelago attained its independence in 1971. Facing declining oil reserves, Bahrain has turned to petroleum processing and refining and has become an international banking center. Bahrain's small size and central location among Gulf countries require it to play a delicate balancing act in foreign affairs among its larger neighbors. The Sunni-led government has struggled to manage relations with its large Shia-majority population. In early 2011, amid Arab uprisings elsewhere in the region, the Bahraini Government confronted similar protests at home with police and military action, including deploying Gulf Cooperation Council security forces to Bahrain. Sporadic clashes between demonstrators and security forces continue in Bahrain. Ongoing dissatisfaction with the political status quo has led to a broader discussion termed the Bahrain National Dialogue, a process that convenes members of the executive, parliament, and political societies in an attempt to reach a political agreement.
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How big is Bahrain compared to Malawi? See an in-depth size comparison.

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