Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Senegal 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 Senegal, that number is 0.3% of people as of 2024.
live 1.4 years longer
In Malawi, the average life expectancy is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Senegal, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
see 64.0% more spent on your healthcare
Malawi spends $125 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Senegal spends $206 as of 2023.
have 2.0 times more doctors per person
Malawi has 0.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Senegal has 1.1 as of 2023.
be 10.7% less likely to die by suicide
Malawi has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Senegal, it is 6.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 44.9% more likely to be obese
In Malawi, 8.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Senegal, that number is 11.6% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 46.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Malawi, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Senegal, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
be 20.7% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Malawi, 47.3% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Senegal, however, that number is 37.5% as of 2021.
make 2.9 times more money
Malawi has a GDP per capita of $672 as of 2025, while in Senegal, the GDP per capita is $1,955 as of 2025.
Life
be 23.9% 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 Senegal, on the other hand, 28.9 children do as of 2024.
be 25.2% less likely to be literate
In Malawi, the literacy rate is 67.3% as of 2021. In Senegal, it is 50.4% as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 4.8 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 Senegal, that number is 74% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 56% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 3.2 times more likely to have internet access
In Malawi, approximately 19.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Senegal, about 60.1% do as of 2024.
be 20.5% 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 Senegal, that number is 88% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 81% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 33.8% less on healthcare
Malawi spends 6.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Senegal, that number is 4.3% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 2.2 times more on education
Malawi spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Senegal spends 6.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 85.0% less likely to be murdered
Malawi has a homicide rate of 1.8 per 100,000 people as of 2012. In Senegal, that number is 0.3 per 100,000 as of 2015.
Infrastructure
find 44.9 times more home broadband
Malawi has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Senegal has 4.0 as of 2024.
Environment
be 51.2% more likely to die from air pollution
In Malawi, air pollution causes 43.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Senegal, it causes 65.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.5 times more CO2
Malawi emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Senegal emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2015–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2012–2019), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Malawi vs. Senegal
Senegal: At a glance
How big is Senegal compared to Malawi? See an in-depth size comparison.