Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Gabon instead of Malawi, you would:
Health
be 54.8% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Malawi, 6.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Gabon, that number is 2.8% of people as of 2024.
live 1.0 years longer
In Malawi, the average life expectancy is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Gabon, that number is 69 years (66 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
see 5.4 times more spent on your healthcare
Malawi spends $125 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Gabon spends $673 as of 2023.
have 9.6 times more doctors per person
Malawi has 0.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Gabon has 5.2 as of 2022.
be 2.8 times more likely to be obese
In Malawi, 8.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Gabon, that number is 22.7% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 12.3 times more money
Malawi has a GDP per capita of $672 as of 2025, while in Gabon, the GDP per capita is $8,263 as of 2025.
be 4.0 times more likely to be unemployed
In Malawi, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Gabon, that number is 20.1% as of 2025.
Life
be 32.0% more likely to be literate
In Malawi, the literacy rate is 67.3% as of 2021. In Gabon, it is 88.9% as of 2021.
be 31.8% 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 Gabon, on the other hand, 25.9 children do as of 2024.
have 12.9% fewer children
In Malawi, there are approximately 31.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Gabon, there are 27.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 6.0 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 Gabon, that number is 94% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 29% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 3.6 times more likely to have internet access
In Malawi, approximately 19.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Gabon, about 68.7% do as of 2024.
be 21.3% 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 Gabon, that number is 89% of people on average (92% in urban areas, and 49% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 15.6% less on education
Malawi spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Gabon spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 52.1% less on healthcare
Malawi spends 6.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Gabon, that number is 3.1% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 38.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Malawi, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Gabon, they kill 12.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 52.1 times more home broadband
Malawi has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Gabon has 4.7 as of 2024.
live with 97.1% less strain on fresh water
Malawi withdraws 18% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Gabon withdraws 0% as of 2022.
Environment
be 23.3% more likely to die from air pollution
In Malawi, air pollution causes 43.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Gabon, it causes 53.0 as of 2019.
emit 9.3 times more CO2
Malawi emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Gabon emits 2.0 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. Gabon
Gabon: At a glance
How big is Gabon compared to Malawi? See an in-depth size comparison.