If you lived in Malawi instead of Paraguay, you would:

Health

be 76.9% less likely to be obese

In Paraguay, 34.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 8.0% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 12.4 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Paraguay, 0.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 6.2% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live 6.4 years less

In Paraguay, the average life expectancy is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 91.5% less spent on your healthcare

Paraguay spends $1,469 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malawi spends $125 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 98.6% fewer doctors per person

Paraguay has 38.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Malawi has 0.5 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

have 33.3% less access to essential health services

Paraguay scores 72 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malawi scores 48 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 19.0% more likely to die by suicide

Paraguay has a suicide rate of 6.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malawi, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 3.0 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Paraguay, 16.0% live below the poverty line as of 2025. In Malawi, however, that number is 47.3% as of 2024.

View global rankings →

make 90.4% less money

Paraguay has a GDP per capita of $7,027 as of 2025, while in Malawi, the GDP per capita is $672 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

have 57.8% more children

In Paraguay, there are approximately 19.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malawi, there are 31.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 3.9 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Paraguay, approximately 58.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malawi, 225.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 29.1% less likely to be literate

In Paraguay, the literacy rate is 94.9% as of 2024. In Malawi, it is 67.3% as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 2.6 times more likely to die during infancy

In Paraguay, approximately 14.5 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.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 84.4% less likely to have access to electricity

In Paraguay, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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.

View global rankings →

be 76.8% less likely to have internet access

In Paraguay, approximately 81.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malawi, about 19.0% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 26.7% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Paraguay, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 99% 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.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 22.1% less on education

Paraguay spends 3.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Malawi spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

View global rankings →

spend 21.9% less on healthcare

Paraguay spends 8.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malawi, that number is 6.5% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 99.3% less home broadband

Paraguay has 12.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Malawi has 0.1 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live with 9.5 times more strain on fresh water

Paraguay withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malawi withdraws 18% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Environment

emit 81.0% less CO2

Paraguay emits 1.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malawi emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 72.0% more likely to die from air pollution

In Paraguay, air pollution causes 25.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malawi, it causes 43.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this

Malawi: At a glance

Malawi is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 94,080 sq km. Established in 1891, the British protectorate of Nyasaland became the independent nation of Malawi in 1964. After three decades of one-party rule under President Hastings Kamuzu BANDA the country held multiparty elections in 1994, under a provisional constitution that came into full effect the following year. President Bingu wa MUTHARIKA, elected in May 2004 after a failed attempt by the previous president to amend the constitution to permit another term, struggled to assert his authority against his predecessor and subsequently started his own party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in 2005. MUTHARIKA was reelected to a second term in May 2009. He oversaw some economic improvement in his first term, but was accused of economic mismanagement and poor governance in his second term. He died abruptly in April 2012 and was succeeded by his vice president, Joyce BANDA, who had earlier started her own party, the People's Party (PP). Population growth, increasing pressure on agricultural lands, corruption, and the scourge of HIV/AIDS pose major problems for Malawi.
Read more

How big is Malawi compared to Paraguay? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Malawi or Paraguay. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.