Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Namibia instead of Malawi, you would:
Health
see 8.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Malawi spends $125 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Namibia spends $1,068 as of 2023.
have 10.2 times more doctors per person
Malawi has 0.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Namibia has 5.5 as of 2022.
have 31.2% more access to essential health services
Malawi scores 48 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Namibia scores 63 as of 2021.
be 45.2% more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Malawi, 6.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Namibia, that number is 9.0% of people as of 2024.
be 2.3 times more likely to be obese
In Malawi, 8.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Namibia, that number is 18.3% of people as of 2024.
be 13.5% more likely to die by suicide
Malawi has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Namibia, it is 8.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 7.3 times more money
Malawi has a GDP per capita of $672 as of 2025, while in Namibia, the GDP per capita is $4,876 as of 2025.
be 3.8 times more likely to be unemployed
In Malawi, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Namibia, that number is 19.3% as of 2025.
Life
be 38.2% 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 Namibia, 139.0 women do as of 2023.
be 30.2% more likely to be literate
In Malawi, the literacy rate is 67.3% as of 2021. In Namibia, it is 87.6% as of 2023.
have 16.9% fewer children
In Malawi, there are approximately 31.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Namibia, there are 25.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 3.6 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 Namibia, that number is 57% of people on average (75% in urban areas, and 34% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 3.4 times more likely to have internet access
In Malawi, approximately 19.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Namibia, about 64.9% do as of 2024.
be 18.4% 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 Namibia, that number is 87% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 74% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 3.3 times more on education
Malawi spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Namibia spends 9.1% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 45.2% more on healthcare
Malawi spends 6.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Namibia, that number is 9.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 31.4 times more home broadband
Malawi has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Namibia has 2.8 as of 2024.
live with 98.2% less strain on fresh water
Malawi withdraws 18% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Namibia withdraws 0% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 5.5 times more CO2
Malawi emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Namibia emits 1.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Malawi vs. Namibia
Namibia: At a glance
How big is Namibia compared to Malawi? See an in-depth size comparison.