Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Kiribati instead of Malawi, you would:
Health
see 3.2 times more spent on your healthcare
Malawi spends $125 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Kiribati spends $401 as of 2023.
live 1.0 years less
In Malawi, the average life expectancy is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Kiribati, that number is 67 years (65 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.
be 5.7 times more likely to be obese
In Malawi, 8.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Kiribati, that number is 45.6% of people as of 2024.
be 2.3 times more likely to die by suicide
Malawi has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Kiribati, it is 17.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 88.4% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Malawi, 47.3% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Kiribati, however, that number is 5.5% as of 2023.
make 3.8 times more money
Malawi has a GDP per capita of $672 as of 2025, while in Kiribati, the GDP per capita is $2,559 as of 2025.
Life
be 64.4% 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 Kiribati, 80.0 women do as of 2023.
be 46.5% more likely to be literate
In Malawi, the literacy rate is 67.3% as of 2021. In Kiribati, it is 98.6% as of 2020.
have 18.7% fewer children
In Malawi, there are approximately 31.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Kiribati, there are 25.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 6.1 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 Kiribati, that number is 96% of people on average (89% in urban areas, and 94% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 4.7 times more likely to have internet access
In Malawi, approximately 19.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Kiribati, about 89.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 6.0 times more on education
Malawi spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Kiribati spends 16.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 67.7% more on healthcare
Malawi spends 6.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Kiribati, that number is 10.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 69.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Malawi, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Kiribati, they kill 6.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 4.0 times more likely to be murdered
Malawi has a homicide rate of 1.8 per 100,000 people as of 2012. In Kiribati, that number is 7.2 per 100,000 as of 2012.
Infrastructure
find 66.7% less home broadband
Malawi has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Kiribati has 0.0 as of 2024.
Environment
be 14.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Malawi, air pollution causes 43.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Kiribati, it causes 49.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.7 times more CO2
Malawi emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Kiribati emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2012–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Malawi vs. Kiribati
Kiribati: At a glance
How big is Kiribati compared to Malawi? See an in-depth size comparison.