Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malawi instead of Puerto Rico, you would:
Health
be 81.1% less likely to be obese
In Puerto Rico, 42.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 8.0% of people as of 2024.
live 14.3 years less
In Puerto Rico, the average life expectancy is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 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 39.7% more likely to die by suicide
Puerto Rico has a suicide rate of 5.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malawi, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 15.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Puerto Rico, 6.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malawi, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
make 98.3% less money
Puerto Rico has a GDP per capita of $40,620 as of 2025, while in Malawi, the GDP per capita is $672 as of 2025.
Life
have 5.5 times more children
In Puerto Rico, there are approximately 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malawi, there are 31.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 20.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Puerto Rico, approximately 11.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malawi, 225.0 women do as of 2023.
be 27.2% less likely to be literate
In Puerto Rico, the literacy rate is 92.4% as of 2021. In Malawi, it is 67.3% as of 2021.
be 6.3 times more likely to die during infancy
In Puerto Rico, approximately 6.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Malawi, on the other hand, 38.0 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 84.4% less likely to have access to electricity
In Puerto Rico, 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.
be 78.3% less likely to have internet access
In Puerto Rico, approximately 87.3% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Malawi, about 19.0% do as of 2024.
be 27.0% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Puerto Rico, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Malawi, 73% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 35.6% less on education
Puerto Rico spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Malawi spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Safety
be 61.6% more likely to die in a road accident
In Puerto Rico, road accidents kill 12.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malawi, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 10.4% less strain on fresh water
Puerto Rico withdraws 20% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malawi withdraws 18% as of 2022.
find 99.7% less home broadband
Puerto Rico has 28.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malawi has 0.1 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 95.4% less CO2
Puerto Rico emits 4.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malawi emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook (2021–2022), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Puerto Rico vs. Malawi
Malawi: At a glance
How big is Malawi compared to Puerto Rico? See an in-depth size comparison.