Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burundi instead of Malawi, you would:
Health
be 87.1% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Malawi, 6.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Burundi, that number is 0.8% of people as of 2024.
be 35.2% less likely to be obese
In Malawi, 8.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burundi, that number is 5.2% of people as of 2024.
have 44.4% more doctors per person
Malawi has 0.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Burundi has 0.8 as of 2022.
live 3.7 years less
In Malawi, the average life expectancy is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Burundi, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024.
see 20.2% less spent on your healthcare
Malawi spends $125 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burundi spends $100 as of 2023.
have 14.6% less access to essential health services
Malawi scores 48 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burundi scores 41 as of 2021.
Economy
be 81.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Malawi, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burundi, that number is 0.9% as of 2025.
make 65.2% less money
Malawi has a GDP per capita of $672 as of 2025, while in Burundi, the GDP per capita is $234 as of 2025.
Life
be 11.0% more likely to be literate
In Malawi, the literacy rate is 67.3% as of 2021. In Burundi, it is 74.7% as of 2021.
be 19.7% 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 Burundi, on the other hand, 30.5 children do as of 2024.
be 74.2% 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 Burundi, 392.0 women do as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 25.6% less 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 Burundi, that number is 12% of people on average (65% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 54.6% less likely to have internet access
In Malawi, approximately 19.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burundi, about 8.6% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 63.6% more on education
Malawi spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Burundi spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2025.
spend 39.2% more on healthcare
Malawi spends 6.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Burundi, that number is 9.1% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 39.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Malawi, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burundi, they kill 12.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 41.8% less strain on fresh water
Malawi withdraws 18% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burundi withdraws 10% as of 2022.
find 77.8% less home broadband
Malawi has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Burundi has 0.0 as of 2023.
Environment
emit 68.2% less CO2
Malawi emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burundi emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 65.1% more likely to die from air pollution
In Malawi, air pollution causes 43.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Burundi, it causes 71.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Malawi vs. Burundi
Burundi: At a glance
How big is Burundi compared to Malawi? See an in-depth size comparison.