Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Zimbabwe instead of Malawi, you would:
Health
have 2.5 times more doctors per person
Malawi has 0.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Zimbabwe has 1.4 as of 2023.
have 14.6% more access to essential health services
Malawi scores 48 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Zimbabwe scores 55 as of 2021.
be 58.1% more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Malawi, 6.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, that number is 9.8% of people as of 2024.
live 4.5 years less
In Malawi, the average life expectancy is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, that number is 63 years (60 years for men, 65 years for women) as of 2024.
be 83.9% more likely to be obese
In Malawi, 8.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, that number is 14.7% of people as of 2024.
see 17.7% less spent on your healthcare
Malawi spends $125 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Zimbabwe spends $103 as of 2023.
be 2.3 times more likely to die by suicide
Malawi has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Zimbabwe, it is 17.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 4.5 times more money
Malawi has a GDP per capita of $672 as of 2025, while in Zimbabwe, the GDP per capita is $3,021 as of 2025.
be 83.2% more likely to be unemployed
In Malawi, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Zimbabwe, that number is 9.3% as of 2025.
Life
be 33.3% more likely to be literate
In Malawi, the literacy rate is 67.3% as of 2021. In Zimbabwe, it is 89.7% as of 2021.
be 59.1% more 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 Zimbabwe, 358.0 women do as of 2023.
be 64.2% more 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 Zimbabwe, on the other hand, 62.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 4.0 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 Zimbabwe, that number is 62% of people on average (84% in urban areas, and 51% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 2.2 times more likely to have internet access
In Malawi, approximately 19.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, about 41.6% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 86.2% less on education
Malawi spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Zimbabwe spends 0.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 55.1% less on healthcare
Malawi spends 6.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Zimbabwe, that number is 2.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 48.0% more likely to die in a road accident
In Malawi, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Zimbabwe, they kill 29.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 21.6 times more home broadband
Malawi has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Zimbabwe has 1.9 as of 2024.
live with 2.6 times more strain on fresh water
Malawi withdraws 18% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Zimbabwe withdraws 46% as of 2022.
Environment
be 30.2% more likely to die from air pollution
In Malawi, air pollution causes 43.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Zimbabwe, it causes 56.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.5 times more CO2
Malawi emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Zimbabwe emits 0.8 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. Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: At a glance
How big is Zimbabwe compared to Malawi? See an in-depth size comparison.