Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malawi instead of Nigeria, you would:
Health
live 12.9 years longer
In Nigeria, the average life expectancy is 55 years (54 years for men, 55 years for women) as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
be 41.5% less likely to be obese
In Nigeria, 13.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 8.0% of people as of 2024.
have 26.3% more access to essential health services
Nigeria scores 38 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malawi scores 48 as of 2021.
be 5.2 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Nigeria, 1.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 6.2% of people as of 2024.
see 51.8% less spent on your healthcare
Nigeria spends $260 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malawi spends $125 as of 2023.
have 85.8% fewer doctors per person
Nigeria has 3.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Malawi has 0.5 as of 2022.
be 51.7% more likely to die by suicide
Nigeria has a suicide rate of 5.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malawi, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 15.8% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Nigeria, 56.2% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Malawi, however, that number is 47.3% as of 2024.
be 65.7% more likely to be unemployed
In Nigeria, 3.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malawi, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
make 45.1% less money
Nigeria has a GDP per capita of $1,224 as of 2025, while in Malawi, the GDP per capita is $672 as of 2025.
Life
be 77.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In Nigeria, approximately 993.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malawi, 225.0 women do as of 2023.
be 45.6% less likely to die during infancy
In Nigeria, approximately 69.8 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Malawi, on the other hand, 38.0 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 74.5% less likely to have access to electricity
In Nigeria, approximately 61% of people have electricity access (85% in urban areas, and 33% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Malawi, that number is 16% of people on average (58% in urban areas, and 6% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 54.0% less likely to have internet access
In Nigeria, approximately 41.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malawi, about 19.0% do as of 2024.
be 11.2% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Nigeria, approximately 82% of people have access to drinking water (95% in urban areas, and 67% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 73% of people on average (86% in urban areas, and 70% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 8.6 times more on education
Nigeria spends 0.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Malawi spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 55.8% more on healthcare
Nigeria spends 4.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malawi, that number is 6.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 17.4% more likely to die in a road accident
In Nigeria, road accidents kill 17.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malawi, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 12.5% more home broadband
Nigeria has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malawi has 0.1 as of 2024.
live with 81.0% more strain on fresh water
Nigeria withdraws 10% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malawi withdraws 18% as of 2022.
Environment
be 44.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Nigeria, air pollution causes 77.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malawi, it causes 43.0 as of 2019.
emit 61.4% less CO2
Nigeria emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malawi emits 0.2 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: Nigeria vs. Malawi
Malawi: At a glance
How big is Malawi compared to Nigeria? See an in-depth size comparison.