Quality of life comparison
If you lived in China instead of Malawi, you would:
Health
live 10.5 years longer
In Malawi, the average life expectancy is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In China, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
see 11.9 times more spent on your healthcare
Malawi spends $125 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). China spends $1,487 as of 2023.
have 57.6 times more doctors per person
Malawi has 0.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. China has 31.1 as of 2022.
have 68.8% more access to essential health services
Malawi scores 48 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. China scores 81 as of 2021.
be 16.1% more likely to be obese
In Malawi, 8.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In China, that number is 9.3% of people as of 2024.
be 18.2% more likely to die by suicide
Malawi has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In China, it is 8.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 20.6 times more money
Malawi has a GDP per capita of $672 as of 2025, while in China, the GDP per capita is $13,862 as of 2025.
Life
be 92.9% 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 China, 16.0 women do as of 2023.
be 43.7% more likely to be literate
In Malawi, the literacy rate is 67.3% as of 2021. In China, it is 96.7% as of 2020.
be 89.2% 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 China, on the other hand, 4.1 children do as of 2024.
have 78.3% fewer children
In Malawi, there are approximately 31.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In China, there are 6.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
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 China, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 4.8 times more likely to have internet access
In Malawi, approximately 19.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In China, about 91.6% do as of 2025.
be 31.6% 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 China, that number is 96% of people on average (97% in urban areas, and 94% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 41.8% more on education
Malawi spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. China spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 13.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In Malawi, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In China, they kill 17.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 524.3 times more home broadband
Malawi has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. China has 47.2 as of 2024.
live with 2.4 times more strain on fresh water
Malawi withdraws 18% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. China withdraws 42% as of 2022.
Environment
be 48.8% more likely to die from air pollution
In Malawi, air pollution causes 43.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In China, it causes 64.0 as of 2019.
emit 42.4 times more CO2
Malawi emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. China emits 9.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Malawi vs. China
China: At a glance
How big is China compared to Malawi? See an in-depth size comparison.