Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United Arab Emirates 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 United Arab Emirates, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.
live 15.5 years longer
In Malawi, the average life expectancy is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 83 years (82 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
see 29.7 times more spent on your healthcare
Malawi spends $125 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 as of 2023.
have 55.4 times more doctors per person
Malawi has 0.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. United Arab Emirates has 29.9 as of 2023.
have 70.8% more access to essential health services
Malawi scores 48 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. United Arab Emirates scores 82 as of 2021.
be 77.4% less likely to die by suicide
Malawi has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 4.0 times more likely to be obese
In Malawi, 8.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 31.6% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 57.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Malawi, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 2.2% as of 2025.
make 74.9 times more money
Malawi has a GDP per capita of $672 as of 2025, while in United Arab Emirates, the GDP per capita is $50,274 as of 2024.
Life
be 98.7% 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 United Arab Emirates, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 46.8% more likely to be literate
In Malawi, the literacy rate is 67.3% as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, it is 98.8% as of 2024.
be 90.0% 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 United Arab Emirates, on the other hand, 3.8 children do as of 2024.
have 68.5% fewer children
In Malawi, there are approximately 31.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, there are 9.8 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 United Arab Emirates, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 5.3 times more likely to have internet access
In Malawi, approximately 19.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, about 100.0% 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 United Arab Emirates, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 23.9% less on healthcare
Malawi spends 6.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 5.0% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 41.5% more on education
Malawi spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
Safety
be 70.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Malawi, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, they kill 5.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 453.8 times more home broadband
Malawi has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. United Arab Emirates has 40.8 as of 2024.
live with 86.3 times more strain on fresh water
Malawi withdraws 18% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% as of 2022.
Environment
be 62.8% more likely to die from air pollution
In Malawi, air pollution causes 43.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United Arab Emirates, it causes 70.0 as of 2019.
emit 83.0 times more CO2
Malawi emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. United Arab Emirates emits 18.3 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. United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: At a glance
How big is United Arab Emirates compared to Malawi? See an in-depth size comparison.