Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Gambia instead of Malawi, you would:
Health
be 79.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Malawi, 6.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 1.3% of people as of 2024.
have 66.7% more doctors per person
Malawi has 0.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Gambia has 0.9 as of 2023.
be 36.5% less likely to die by suicide
Malawi has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Gambia, it is 4.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 1.5 years less
In Malawi, the average life expectancy is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.
be 54.9% more likely to be obese
In Malawi, 8.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 12.4% of people as of 2024.
see 24.9% less spent on your healthcare
Malawi spends $125 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Gambia spends $94 as of 2023.
Economy
make 36.9% more money
Malawi has a GDP per capita of $672 as of 2025, while in Gambia, the GDP per capita is $919 as of 2025.
be 28.6% more likely to be unemployed
In Malawi, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Gambia, that number is 6.5% as of 2025.
Life
be 13.9% 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 Gambia, on the other hand, 32.7 children do as of 2024.
be 57.3% more 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 Gambia, 354.0 women do as of 2023.
be 23.3% less likely to be literate
In Malawi, the literacy rate is 67.3% as of 2021. In Gambia, it is 51.6% as of 2021.
Basic Needs
be 4.3 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 Gambia, that number is 67% of people on average (85% in urban areas, and 35% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 2.6 times more likely to have internet access
In Malawi, approximately 19.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Gambia, about 49.5% do as of 2024.
be 19.2% 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 Gambia, that number is 87% of people on average (92% in urban areas, and 78% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 55.7% less on healthcare
Malawi spends 6.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Gambia, that number is 2.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 5.8 times more home broadband
Malawi has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Gambia has 0.5 as of 2024.
live with 87.4% less strain on fresh water
Malawi withdraws 18% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Gambia withdraws 2% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 18.2% less CO2
Malawi emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Gambia emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Malawi, air pollution causes 43.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Gambia, it causes 90.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Malawi vs. Gambia
Gambia: At a glance
How big is Gambia compared to Malawi? See an in-depth size comparison.