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

Health

live 3.7 years longer

In Malawi, the average life expectancy is 72 years (69 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022. In China, that number is 76 years (74 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2020.

Economy

make 10.9 times more money

Malawi has a GDP per capita of $1,500 as of 2020, while in China, the GDP per capita is $16,400 as of 2020.

be 82.2% less likely to be unemployed

In Malawi, 20.4% of adults are unemployed as of 2013. In China, that number is 3.6% as of 2019.

be 98.8% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Malawi, 51.5% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In China, however, that number is 0.6% as of 2019.

pay a 50.0% higher top tax rate

Malawi has a top tax rate of 30.0% as of 2016. In China, the top tax rate is 45.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 91.7% less likely to die during childbirth

In Malawi, approximately 349.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In China, 29.0 women do as of 2017.

be 55.9% more likely to be literate

In Malawi, the literacy rate is 62.1% as of 2015. In China, it is 96.8% as of 2018.

be 79.8% less likely to die during infancy

In Malawi, approximately 33.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In China, on the other hand, 6.8 children do as of 2022.

have 64.5% fewer children

In Malawi, there are approximately 27.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In China, there are 9.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 7.7 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Malawi, approximately 13% of the population has electricity access as of 2019. In China, 100% of the population do as of 2020.

be 5.0 times more likely to have internet access

In Malawi, approximately 14.0% of the population has internet access as of 2019. In China, about 70.0% do as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 27.0% less on healthcare

Malawi spends 7.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In China, that number is 5.4% of GDP as of 2019.

spend 20.7% more on education

Malawi spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. China spends 3.5% of total GDP on education as of 2018.


The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: Malawi Revenue Authority, The World Factbook, State Administration of Taxation.

China: At a glance

China (sometimes abbreviated PRC) is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 9,326,410 sq km. For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. After World War II, the communists under MAO Zedong established an autocratic socialist system that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of millions of people. After 1978, MAO's successor DENG Xiaoping and other leaders focused on market-oriented economic development and by 2000 output had quadrupled. For much of the population, living standards have improved dramatically and the room for personal choice has expanded, yet political controls remain tight. Since the early 1990s, China has increased its global outreach and participation in international organizations.
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How big is China compared to Malawi? See an in-depth size comparison.

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