Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malaysia instead of Malawi, you would:
Health
be 95.2% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Malawi, 6.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 0.3% of people as of 2024.
live 9.3 years longer
In Malawi, the average life expectancy is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.
see 11.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Malawi spends $125 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malaysia spends $1,441 as of 2023.
have 43.4 times more doctors per person
Malawi has 0.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Malaysia has 23.4 as of 2023.
have 58.3% more access to essential health services
Malawi scores 48 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malaysia scores 76 as of 2021.
be 25.4% less likely to die by suicide
Malawi has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malaysia, it is 5.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.9 times more likely to be obese
In Malawi, 8.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 23.3% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 25.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Malawi, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malaysia, that number is 3.8% as of 2025.
be 89.2% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Malawi, 47.3% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Malaysia, however, that number is 5.1% as of 2023.
make 19.5 times more money
Malawi has a GDP per capita of $672 as of 2025, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $13,125 as of 2025.
Life
be 88.4% 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 Malaysia, 26.0 women do as of 2023.
be 42.3% more likely to be literate
In Malawi, the literacy rate is 67.3% as of 2021. In Malaysia, it is 95.8% as of 2022.
be 81.6% 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 Malaysia, on the other hand, 7.0 children do as of 2024.
have 60.3% fewer children
In Malawi, there are approximately 31.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malaysia, there are 12.4 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 Malaysia, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 5.2 times more likely to have internet access
In Malawi, approximately 19.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malaysia, about 98.0% do as of 2024.
be 34.1% 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 Malaysia, that number is 98% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 95% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 39.4% less on healthcare
Malawi spends 6.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 27.6% more on education
Malawi spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Malaysia spends 3.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 31.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Malawi, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malaysia, they kill 13.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 150.6 times more home broadband
Malawi has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malaysia has 13.6 as of 2024.
live with 80.3% less strain on fresh water
Malawi withdraws 18% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malaysia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
Environment
be 46.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Malawi, air pollution causes 43.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malaysia, it causes 63.0 as of 2019.
emit 37.8 times more CO2
Malawi emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malaysia emits 8.3 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. Malaysia
Malaysia: At a glance
How big is Malaysia compared to Malawi? See an in-depth size comparison.