Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Malawi, you would:
Health
be 2.4 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Malawi, 8.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In South Africa, that number is 19.1% of people as of 2020.
live 7.1 years less
In Malawi, the average life expectancy is 72 years (69 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022. In South Africa, that number is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2022.
be 4.9 times more likely to be obese
In Malawi, 5.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In South Africa, that number is 28.3% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 7.7 times more money
Malawi has a GDP per capita of $1,500 as of 2020, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $11,500 as of 2020.
be 67.8% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Malawi, 51.5% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In South Africa, however, that number is 16.6% as of 2016.
be 39.9% more likely to be unemployed
In Malawi, 20.4% of adults are unemployed as of 2013. In South Africa, that number is 28.5% as of 2019.
pay a 50.0% higher top tax rate
Malawi has a top tax rate of 30.0% as of 2016. In South Africa, the top tax rate is 45.0% as of 2017.
Life
be 65.9% less likely to die during childbirth
In Malawi, approximately 349.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In South Africa, 119.0 women do as of 2017.
be 53.0% more likely to be literate
In Malawi, the literacy rate is 62.1% as of 2015. In South Africa, it is 95.0% as of 2019.
be 22.6% less likely to die during infancy
In Malawi, approximately 33.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In South Africa, on the other hand, 25.9 children do as of 2022.
have 33.6% fewer children
In Malawi, there are approximately 27.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In South Africa, there are 18.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 7.2 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Malawi, approximately 13% of people have electricity access (55% in urban areas, and 5% in rural areas) as of 2019. In South Africa, that number is 94% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 92% in rural areas) as of 2019.
be 5.0 times more likely to have internet access
In Malawi, approximately 14.0% of the population has internet access as of 2019. In South Africa, about 70.0% do as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 2.3 times more on education
Malawi spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. South Africa spends 6.8% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 23.0% more on healthcare
Malawi spends 7.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In South Africa, that number is 9.1% of GDP as of 2019.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: Malawi Revenue Authority, The World Factbook, South African Revenue Service.
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Malawi? See an in-depth size comparison.