Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Kenya instead of Malawi, you would:
Health
be 48.9% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Malawi, 9.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2018. In Kenya, that number is 4.7% of people as of 2018.
live 5.8 years longer
In Malawi, the average life expectancy is 63 years (61 years for men, 65 years for women) as of 2020. In Kenya, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2020.
be 22.4% more likely to be obese
In Malawi, 5.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Kenya, that number is 7.1% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 2.9 times more money
Malawi has a GDP per capita of $1,200 as of 2017, while in Kenya, the GDP per capita is $3,500 as of 2017.
be 28.8% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Malawi, 50.7% live below the poverty line as of 2010. In Kenya, however, that number is 36.1% as of 2016.
be 96.1% more likely to be unemployed
In Malawi, 20.4% of adults are unemployed as of 2013. In Kenya, that number is 40.0% as of 2013.
Life
be 31.2% more likely to be literate
In Malawi, the literacy rate is 62.1% as of 2015. In Kenya, it is 81.5% as of 2018.
be 24.6% less likely to die during infancy
In Malawi, approximately 39.5 children die before they reach the age of one as of 2020. In Kenya, on the other hand, 29.8 children do as of 2020.
have 32.2% fewer children
In Malawi, there are approximately 40.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020. In Kenya, there are 27.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020.
Basic Needs
be 5.1 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Malawi, approximately 11% of people have electricity access (42% in urban areas, and 4% in rural areas) as of 2017. In Kenya, that number is 56% of people on average (78% in urban areas, and 39% in rural areas) as of 2017.
be 29.4% more likely to have internet access
In Malawi, approximately 13.8% of the population has internet access as of 2018. In Kenya, about 17.8% do as of 2018.
be 23.3% less likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Malawi, approximately 89% of people have improved drinking water access (96% in urban areas, and 87% in rural areas) as of 2017. In Kenya, that number is 68% of people on average (89% in urban areas, and 60% in rural areas) as of 2017.
Expenditures
spend 30.0% more on education
Malawi spends 4.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2017. Kenya spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2017.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.
Kenya: At a glance
How big is Kenya compared to Malawi? See an in-depth size comparison.