Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Ethiopia instead of Malawi, you would:
Health
be 88.9% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Malawi, 8.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Ethiopia, that number is 0.9% of people as of 2020.
be 22.4% less likely to be obese
In Malawi, 5.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Ethiopia, that number is 4.5% of people as of 2016.
live 4.2 years less
In Malawi, the average life expectancy is 72 years (69 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022. In Ethiopia, that number is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2022.
Economy
make 53.3% more money
Malawi has a GDP per capita of $1,500 as of 2020, while in Ethiopia, the GDP per capita is $2,300 as of 2020.
be 14.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Malawi, 20.4% of adults are unemployed as of 2013. In Ethiopia, that number is 17.5% as of 2012.
be 54.4% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Malawi, 51.5% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Ethiopia, however, that number is 23.5% as of 2015.
pay a 16.7% higher top tax rate
Malawi has a top tax rate of 30.0% as of 2016. In Ethiopia, the top tax rate is 35.0% as of 2016.
Life
be 16.6% less likely to be literate
In Malawi, the literacy rate is 62.1% as of 2015. In Ethiopia, it is 51.8% as of 2017.
Basic Needs
be 3.6 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Malawi, approximately 13% of people have electricity access (55% in urban areas, and 5% in rural areas) as of 2019. In Ethiopia, that number is 47% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 34% in rural areas) as of 2019.
be 71.4% more likely to have internet access
In Malawi, approximately 14.0% of the population has internet access as of 2019. In Ethiopia, about 24.0% do as of 2020.
be 17.0% less likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Malawi, approximately 92% of people have improved drinking water access (97% in urban areas, and 91% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Ethiopia, that number is 76% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 70% in rural areas) as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 56.8% less on healthcare
Malawi spends 7.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In Ethiopia, that number is 3.2% of GDP as of 2019.
spend 75.9% more on education
Malawi spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Ethiopia spends 5.1% of total GDP on education as of 2018.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: Malawi Revenue Authority, The World Factbook, Ethiopian Revenues and Customs Authority.
Ethiopia: At a glance
How big is Ethiopia compared to Malawi? See an in-depth size comparison.