Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malawi instead of Papua New Guinea, you would:
Health
live 1.3 years longer
In Papua New Guinea, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 69 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 71.4% less likely to be obese
In Papua New Guinea, 28.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 8.0% of people as of 2024.
have 60.0% more access to essential health services
Papua New Guinea scores 30 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malawi scores 48 as of 2021.
be 4.1 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Papua New Guinea, 1.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 6.2% of people as of 2024.
have 11.5% fewer doctors per person
Papua New Guinea has 0.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Malawi has 0.5 as of 2022.
be 4.2 times more likely to die by suicide
Papua New Guinea has a suicide rate of 1.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malawi, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 97.3% more likely to be unemployed
In Papua New Guinea, 2.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malawi, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
make 77.8% less money
Papua New Guinea has a GDP per capita of $3,020 as of 2025, while in Malawi, the GDP per capita is $672 as of 2025.
Life
have 28.2% more children
In Papua New Guinea, there are approximately 24.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malawi, there are 31.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 19.0% more likely to die during childbirth
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 189.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malawi, 225.0 women do as of 2023.
be 22.6% less likely to be literate
In Papua New Guinea, the literacy rate is 87.0% as of 2022. In Malawi, it is 67.3% as of 2021.
be 21.4% more likely to die during infancy
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 31.3 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 37.1% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 53% of people have access to drinking water (84% in urban areas, and 48% 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.
be 23.9% less likely to have access to electricity
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 20% of people have electricity access (65% in urban areas, and 13% 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.
Expenditures
spend 3.5 times more on education
Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Malawi spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 2.3 times more on healthcare
Papua New Guinea spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malawi, that number is 6.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 80.9% less likely to be murdered
Papua New Guinea has a homicide rate of 9.4 per 100,000 people as of 2010. In Malawi, that number is 1.8 per 100,000 as of 2012.
be 35.6% more likely to die in a road accident
In Papua New Guinea, road accidents kill 14.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malawi, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 60.9% less home broadband
Papua New Guinea has 0.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malawi has 0.1 as of 2024.
live with 134.6 times more strain on fresh water
Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malawi withdraws 18% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 57.7% less CO2
Papua New Guinea emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malawi emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 13.2% more likely to die from air pollution
In Papua New Guinea, air pollution causes 38.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malawi, it causes 43.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2010–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Papua New Guinea vs. Malawi
Malawi: At a glance
How big is Malawi compared to Papua New Guinea? See an in-depth size comparison.