Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Hong Kong instead of Malawi, you would:
Health
live 17.8 years longer
In Malawi, the average life expectancy is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Hong Kong, that number is 85 years (83 years for men, 88 years for women) as of 2024.
Economy
be 44.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Malawi, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Hong Kong, that number is 2.8% as of 2025.
make 84.9 times more money
Malawi has a GDP per capita of $672 as of 2025, while in Hong Kong, the GDP per capita is $56,983 as of 2025.
Life
be 93.3% 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 Hong Kong, on the other hand, 2.5 children do as of 2022.
have 84.3% fewer children
In Malawi, there are approximately 31.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Hong Kong, there are 4.9 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 Hong Kong, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 5.1 times more likely to have internet access
In Malawi, approximately 19.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Hong Kong, about 95.8% do as of 2024.
be 36.9% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Malawi, approximately 73% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Hong Kong, 100% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 38.5% more on education
Malawi spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Hong Kong spends 3.8% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Infrastructure
find 447.4 times more home broadband
Malawi has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Hong Kong has 40.3 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 20.9 times more CO2
Malawi emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Hong Kong emits 4.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: Malawi vs. Hong Kong
Hong Kong: At a glance
How big is Hong Kong compared to Malawi? See an in-depth size comparison.