Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malawi instead of Papua New Guinea, you would:
Health
live 3.0 years longer
In Papua New Guinea, the average life expectancy is 69 years (68 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2022. In Malawi, that number is 72 years (69 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022.
be 72.8% less likely to be obese
In Papua New Guinea, 21.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Malawi, that number is 5.8% of people as of 2016.
be 9.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Papua New Guinea, 0.9% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Malawi, that number is 8.1% of people as of 2020.
Economy
pay a 28.6% lower top tax rate
Papua New Guinea has a top tax rate of 42.0% as of 2016. In Malawi, the top tax rate is 30.0% as of 2016.
make 63.4% less money
Papua New Guinea has a GDP per capita of $4,100 as of 2020, while in Malawi, the GDP per capita is $1,500 as of 2020.
be 8.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Papua New Guinea, 2.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2017. In Malawi, that number is 20.4% as of 2013.
be 39.2% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Papua New Guinea, 37.0% live below the poverty line as of 2002. In Malawi, however, that number is 51.5% as of 2016.
Life
be 2.4 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 145.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Malawi, 349.0 women do as of 2017.
Basic Needs
be 27.3% more likely to have internet access
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 11.0% of the population has internet access as of 2019. In Malawi, about 14.0% do as of 2019.
be 93.7% more likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 48% of people have improved drinking water access (86% in urban areas, and 42% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Malawi, that number is 92% of people on average (97% in urban areas, and 91% in rural areas) as of 2020.
be 77.9% less likely to have access to electricity
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 59% of people have electricity access (82% in urban areas, and 55% in rural areas) as of 2018. In Malawi, that number is 13% of people on average (55% in urban areas, and 5% in rural areas) as of 2019.
Expenditures
spend 52.6% more on education
Papua New Guinea spends 1.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2018. Malawi spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 3.2 times more on healthcare
Papua New Guinea spends 2.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In Malawi, that number is 7.4% of GDP as of 2019.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: Malawi Revenue Authority, The World Factbook, Internal Revenue Commission, Papua New Guinea.
Malawi: At a glance
How big is Malawi compared to Papua New Guinea? See an in-depth size comparison.