Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Republic of the Congo instead of Malawi, you would:
Health
be 48.4% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Malawi, 6.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 3.2% of people as of 2024.
see 66.6% more spent on your healthcare
Malawi spends $125 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Republic of the Congo spends $209 as of 2023.
have 3.2 times more doctors per person
Malawi has 0.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Republic of the Congo has 1.7 as of 2022.
be 11.4% less likely to die by suicide
Malawi has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Republic of the Congo, it is 6.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 1.6 years less
In Malawi, the average life expectancy is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.
be 52.5% more likely to be obese
In Malawi, 8.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 12.2% of people as of 2024.
have 14.6% less access to essential health services
Malawi scores 48 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Republic of the Congo scores 41 as of 2021.
Economy
make 3.7 times more money
Malawi has a GDP per capita of $672 as of 2025, while in Republic of the Congo, the GDP per capita is $2,515 as of 2025.
be 3.9 times more likely to be unemployed
In Malawi, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 19.9% as of 2025.
Life
be 19.8% more likely to be literate
In Malawi, the literacy rate is 67.3% as of 2021. In Republic of the Congo, it is 80.6% as of 2021.
be 28.9% 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 Republic of the Congo, on the other hand, 27.0 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 3.3 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 Republic of the Congo, that number is 51% of people on average (69% in urban areas, and 11% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 2.5 times more likely to have internet access
In Malawi, approximately 19.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Republic of the Congo, about 47.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 49.5% less on healthcare
Malawi spends 6.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 3.3% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 21.5% more on education
Malawi spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Republic of the Congo spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 58.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Malawi, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Republic of the Congo, they kill 8.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 14.1 times more home broadband
Malawi has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Republic of the Congo has 1.3 as of 2023.
live with 99.8% less strain on fresh water
Malawi withdraws 18% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% as of 2022.
Environment
be 53.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Malawi, air pollution causes 43.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Republic of the Congo, it causes 66.0 as of 2019.
emit 6.1 times more CO2
Malawi emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Republic of the Congo emits 1.3 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. Republic of the Congo
Republic of the Congo: At a glance
How big is Republic of the Congo compared to Malawi? See an in-depth size comparison.