Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Dominican Republic instead of Malawi, you would:
Health
be 83.9% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Malawi, 6.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Dominican Republic, that number is 1.0% of people as of 2024.
live 6.3 years longer
In Malawi, the average life expectancy is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Dominican Republic, that number is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024.
see 9.3 times more spent on your healthcare
Malawi spends $125 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Dominican Republic spends $1,169 as of 2023.
have 44.9 times more doctors per person
Malawi has 0.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Dominican Republic has 24.3 as of 2023.
have 60.4% more access to essential health services
Malawi scores 48 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Dominican Republic scores 77 as of 2021.
be 44.5% less likely to die by suicide
Malawi has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Dominican Republic, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 3.8 times more likely to be obese
In Malawi, 8.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Dominican Republic, that number is 30.8% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 63.4% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Malawi, 47.3% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Dominican Republic, however, that number is 17.3% as of 2025.
make 16.5 times more money
Malawi has a GDP per capita of $672 as of 2025, while in Dominican Republic, the GDP per capita is $11,059 as of 2025.
Life
be 44.9% 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 Dominican Republic, 124.0 women do as of 2023.
be 39.7% more likely to be literate
In Malawi, the literacy rate is 67.3% as of 2021. In Dominican Republic, it is 94.0% as of 2024.
be 27.1% 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 Dominican Republic, on the other hand, 27.7 children do as of 2024.
have 43.4% fewer children
In Malawi, there are approximately 31.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Dominican Republic, there are 17.6 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 Dominican Republic, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 98% 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 Dominican Republic, about 91.0% do as of 2024.
be 33.4% 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 Dominican Republic, that number is 97% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 95% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 29.6% less on healthcare
Malawi spends 6.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Dominican Republic, that number is 4.6% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 36.7% more on education
Malawi spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Dominican Republic spends 3.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 35.6% more likely to die in a road accident
In Malawi, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Dominican Republic, they kill 27.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 124.4 times more home broadband
Malawi has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Dominican Republic has 11.2 as of 2024.
live with 2.3 times more strain on fresh water
Malawi withdraws 18% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Dominican Republic withdraws 40% as of 2022.
Environment
be 37.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Malawi, air pollution causes 43.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Dominican Republic, it causes 27.0 as of 2019.
emit 13.6 times more CO2
Malawi emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Dominican Republic emits 3.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Malawi vs. Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic: At a glance
How big is Dominican Republic compared to Malawi? See an in-depth size comparison.