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

Health

be 16.8% less likely to be obese

In Philippines, 9.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 8.0% of people as of 2024.

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be 20.7 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Philippines, 0.3% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 6.2% of people as of 2024.

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live 2.4 years less

In Philippines, the average life expectancy is 70 years (67 years for men, 73 years for women) as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 77.6% less spent on your healthcare

Philippines spends $560 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malawi spends $125 as of 2023.

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have 93.2% fewer doctors per person

Philippines has 7.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Malawi has 0.5 as of 2022.

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have 17.2% less access to essential health services

Philippines scores 58 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malawi scores 48 as of 2021.

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be 2.2 times more likely to die by suicide

Philippines has a suicide rate of 3.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malawi, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 2.3 times more likely to be unemployed

In Philippines, 2.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malawi, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.

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be 4.9 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Philippines, 9.7% live below the poverty line as of 2025. In Malawi, however, that number is 47.3% as of 2024.

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make 83.9% less money

Philippines has a GDP per capita of $4,171 as of 2025, while in Malawi, the GDP per capita is $672 as of 2025.

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Life

have 96.0% more children

In Philippines, there are approximately 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malawi, there are 31.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 2.7 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Philippines, approximately 84.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malawi, 225.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 31.7% less likely to be literate

In Philippines, the literacy rate is 98.5% as of 2020. In Malawi, it is 67.3% as of 2021.

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be 75.1% more likely to die during infancy

In Philippines, approximately 21.7 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.

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Basic Needs

be 84.1% less likely to have access to electricity

In Philippines, approximately 98% of people have electricity access (98% in urban areas, and 98% 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.

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be 71.8% less likely to have internet access

In Philippines, approximately 67.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malawi, about 19.0% do as of 2024.

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be 23.8% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Philippines, approximately 96% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 94% 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.

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Expenditures

spend 30.7% less on education

Philippines spends 4.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2025. Malawi spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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spend 28.0% more on healthcare

Philippines spends 5.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malawi, that number is 6.5% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 2.1 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Philippines, road accidents kill 9.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malawi, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 37.1% less strain on fresh water

Philippines withdraws 28% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malawi withdraws 18% as of 2022.

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find 98.7% less home broadband

Philippines has 7.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malawi has 0.1 as of 2024.

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Environment

be 53.3% less likely to die from air pollution

In Philippines, air pollution causes 92.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malawi, it causes 43.0 as of 2019.

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emit 85.3% less CO2

Philippines emits 1.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malawi emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), 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.
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