Quality of life comparison
If you lived in New Zealand instead of Malawi, you would:
Health
be 98.4% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Malawi, 6.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.
live 14.5 years longer
In Malawi, the average life expectancy is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
see 44.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Malawi spends $125 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). New Zealand spends $5,576 as of 2024.
have 66.9 times more doctors per person
Malawi has 0.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. New Zealand has 36.1 as of 2022.
have 77.1% more access to essential health services
Malawi scores 48 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. New Zealand scores 85 as of 2021.
be 4.3 times more likely to be obese
In Malawi, 8.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 34.0% of people as of 2024.
be 57.5% more likely to die by suicide
Malawi has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In New Zealand, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 73.9 times more money
Malawi has a GDP per capita of $672 as of 2025, while in New Zealand, the GDP per capita is $49,591 as of 2025.
Life
be 96.9% 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 New Zealand, 7.0 women do as of 2023.
be 89.5% 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 New Zealand, on the other hand, 4.0 children do as of 2024.
have 64.6% fewer children
In Malawi, there are approximately 31.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In New Zealand, there are 11.0 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 New Zealand, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 4.9 times more likely to have internet access
In Malawi, approximately 19.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In New Zealand, about 93.5% do as of 2024.
be 36.9% 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 New Zealand, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 89.5% more on education
Malawi spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. New Zealand spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 54.1% more on healthcare
Malawi spends 6.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In New Zealand, that number is 10.1% of GDP as of 2024.
Safety
be 67.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Malawi, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In New Zealand, they kill 6.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 422.8 times more home broadband
Malawi has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. New Zealand has 38.0 as of 2024.
live with 54.0% less strain on fresh water
Malawi withdraws 18% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. New Zealand withdraws 8% as of 2022.
Environment
be 72.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Malawi, air pollution causes 43.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In New Zealand, it causes 12.0 as of 2019.
emit 27.3 times more CO2
Malawi emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. New Zealand emits 6.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Malawi vs. New Zealand
New Zealand: At a glance
How big is New Zealand compared to Malawi? See an in-depth size comparison.