Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Nauru instead of Malawi, you would:
Health
see 19.7 times more spent on your healthcare
Malawi spends $125 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Nauru spends $2,474 as of 2023.
have 25.0% more access to essential health services
Malawi scores 48 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Nauru scores 60 as of 2021.
live 5.3 years less
In Malawi, the average life expectancy is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Nauru, that number is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024.
be 8.9 times more likely to be obese
In Malawi, 8.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Nauru, that number is 71.4% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 21.8 times more money
Malawi has a GDP per capita of $672 as of 2025, while in Nauru, the GDP per capita is $14,640 as of 2025.
Life
be 43.5% more likely to be literate
In Malawi, the literacy rate is 67.3% as of 2021. In Nauru, it is 96.6% as of 2023.
be 79.7% 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 Nauru, on the other hand, 7.7 children do as of 2024.
be 21.3% more 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 Nauru, 273.0 women do as of 2023.
have 21.1% fewer children
In Malawi, there are approximately 31.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Nauru, there are 24.6 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 Nauru, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 4.4 times more likely to have internet access
In Malawi, approximately 19.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Nauru, about 83.0% do as of 2024.
be 33.9% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Malawi, approximately 73% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Nauru, 98% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.1 times more on education
Malawi spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Nauru spends 5.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.8 times more on healthcare
Malawi spends 6.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Nauru, that number is 18.2% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 60.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Malawi, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Nauru, they kill 8.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 110.7 times more home broadband
Malawi has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Nauru has 10.0 as of 2022.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Malawi vs. Nauru
Nauru: At a glance
How big is Nauru compared to Malawi? See an in-depth size comparison.