Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United Kingdom instead of Malawi, you would:
Health
be 96.8% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Malawi, 6.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In United Kingdom, that number is 0.2% of people as of 2023.
live 13.8 years longer
In Malawi, the average life expectancy is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In United Kingdom, that number is 81 years (80 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024.
see 52.7 times more spent on your healthcare
Malawi spends $125 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United Kingdom spends $6,606 as of 2024.
have 61.1 times more doctors per person
Malawi has 0.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. United Kingdom has 33.0 as of 2023.
have 83.3% more access to essential health services
Malawi scores 48 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. United Kingdom scores 88 as of 2021.
be 3.4 times more likely to be obese
In Malawi, 8.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United Kingdom, that number is 27.4% of people as of 2024.
be 26.2% more likely to die by suicide
Malawi has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United Kingdom, it is 9.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 85.8 times more money
Malawi has a GDP per capita of $672 as of 2025, while in United Kingdom, the GDP per capita is $57,602 as of 2025.
Life
be 96.4% 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 Kingdom, 8.0 women do as of 2023.
be 89.2% 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 Kingdom, on the other hand, 4.1 children do as of 2024.
have 68.2% fewer children
In Malawi, there are approximately 31.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United Kingdom, there are 9.9 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 Kingdom, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 5.0 times more likely to have internet access
In Malawi, approximately 19.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In United Kingdom, about 95.5% 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 United Kingdom, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.1 times more on education
Malawi spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. United Kingdom spends 5.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 70.4% more on healthcare
Malawi spends 6.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In United Kingdom, that number is 11.1% of GDP as of 2024.
Safety
be 88.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Malawi, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United Kingdom, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 468.4 times more home broadband
Malawi has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. United Kingdom has 42.2 as of 2024.
live with 18.0% less strain on fresh water
Malawi withdraws 18% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United Kingdom withdraws 14% as of 2022.
Environment
be 69.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Malawi, air pollution causes 43.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United Kingdom, it causes 13.0 as of 2019.
emit 19.2 times more CO2
Malawi emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. United Kingdom emits 4.2 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. United Kingdom
United Kingdom: At a glance
How big is United Kingdom compared to Malawi? See an in-depth size comparison.