Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Kenya instead of Malawi, you would:
Health
be 51.6% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Malawi, 6.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Kenya, that number is 3.0% of people as of 2024.
see 2.2 times more spent on your healthcare
Malawi spends $125 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Kenya spends $274 as of 2023.
have 5.4 times more doctors per person
Malawi has 0.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Kenya has 2.9 as of 2023.
have 10.4% more access to essential health services
Malawi scores 48 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Kenya scores 53 as of 2021.
be 39.5% less likely to die by suicide
Malawi has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Kenya, it is 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 3.7 years less
In Malawi, the average life expectancy is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Kenya, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024.
be 41.0% more likely to be obese
In Malawi, 8.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Kenya, that number is 11.3% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 15.9% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Malawi, 47.3% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Kenya, however, that number is 39.8% as of 2022.
make 3.5 times more money
Malawi has a GDP per capita of $672 as of 2025, while in Kenya, the GDP per capita is $2,363 as of 2025.
Life
be 33.8% 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 Kenya, 149.0 women do as of 2023.
be 22.7% more likely to be literate
In Malawi, the literacy rate is 67.3% as of 2021. In Kenya, it is 82.6% as of 2021.
have 13.4% fewer children
In Malawi, there are approximately 31.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Kenya, there are 27.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 4.9 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 Kenya, that number is 76% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 68% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 84.5% more likely to have internet access
In Malawi, approximately 19.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Kenya, about 35.0% do as of 2024.
be 10.2% less 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 Kenya, that number is 66% of people on average (89% in urban areas, and 56% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 33.4% less on healthcare
Malawi spends 6.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Kenya, that number is 4.3% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 46.2% more on education
Malawi spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Kenya spends 4.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Safety
be 39.6% more likely to die in a road accident
In Malawi, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Kenya, they kill 28.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 33.8 times more home broadband
Malawi has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Kenya has 3.0 as of 2024.
live with 89.9% more strain on fresh water
Malawi withdraws 18% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Kenya withdraws 33% as of 2022.
Environment
be 23.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Malawi, air pollution causes 43.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Kenya, it causes 33.0 as of 2019.
emit 72.7% more CO2
Malawi emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Kenya emits 0.4 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. Kenya
Kenya: At a glance
How big is Kenya compared to Malawi? See an in-depth size comparison.