If you lived in Belize instead of Malawi, you would:

Health

be 80.6% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Malawi, 6.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Belize, that number is 1.2% of people as of 2024.

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live 6.2 years longer

In Malawi, the average life expectancy is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Belize, that number is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 4.6 times more spent on your healthcare

Malawi spends $125 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Belize spends $573 as of 2023.

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have 41.7% more access to essential health services

Malawi scores 48 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Belize scores 68 as of 2021.

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be 44.8% less likely to die by suicide

Malawi has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Belize, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 5.4 times more likely to be obese

In Malawi, 8.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Belize, that number is 43.4% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

make 11.7 times more money

Malawi has a GDP per capita of $672 as of 2025, while in Belize, the GDP per capita is $7,865 as of 2025.

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be 74.8% more likely to be unemployed

In Malawi, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Belize, that number is 8.9% as of 2025.

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Life

be 70.2% 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 Belize, 67.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 30.6% more likely to be literate

In Malawi, the literacy rate is 67.3% as of 2021. In Belize, it is 87.9% as of 2022.

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be 71.6% 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 Belize, on the other hand, 10.8 children do as of 2024.

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have 42.0% fewer children

In Malawi, there are approximately 31.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Belize, there are 18.1 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 Belize, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 4.2 times more likely to have internet access

In Malawi, approximately 19.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Belize, about 80.0% do as of 2024.

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be 29.8% 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 Belize, that number is 95% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 91% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 36.4% less on healthcare

Malawi spends 6.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Belize, that number is 4.2% of GDP as of 2023.

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spend 68.0% more on education

Malawi spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Belize spends 4.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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Safety

be 13.4% less likely to die in a road accident

In Malawi, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Belize, they kill 17.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 108.3 times more home broadband

Malawi has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Belize has 9.8 as of 2022.

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live with 92.8% less strain on fresh water

Malawi withdraws 18% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Belize withdraws 1% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 51.2% less likely to die from air pollution

In Malawi, air pollution causes 43.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Belize, it causes 21.0 as of 2019.

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emit 4.2 times more CO2

Malawi emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Belize emits 0.9 tonnes as of 2024.

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

Belize: At a glance

Belize is a sovereign country in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 22,806 sq km. Belize was the site of several Mayan city states until their decline at the end of the first millennium A.D. The British and Spanish disputed the region in the 17th and 18th centuries; it formally became the colony of British Honduras in 1854. Territorial disputes between the UK and Guatemala delayed the independence of Belize until 1981. Guatemala refused to recognize the new nation until 1992 and the two countries are involved in an ongoing border dispute. Tourism has become the mainstay of the economy. Current concerns include the country's heavy foreign debt burden, high unemployment, growing involvement in the Mexican and South American drug trade, high crime rates, and one of the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in Central America.
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How big is Belize compared to Malawi? See an in-depth size comparison.

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