Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malawi instead of Republic of the Congo, you would:
Health
live 1.6 years longer
In Republic of the Congo, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 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 34.4% less likely to be obese
In Republic of the Congo, 12.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 8.0% of people as of 2024.
have 17.1% more access to essential health services
Republic of the Congo scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malawi scores 48 as of 2021.
be 93.8% more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Republic of the Congo, 3.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 6.2% of people as of 2024.
see 40.0% less spent on your healthcare
Republic of the Congo spends $209 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malawi spends $125 as of 2023.
have 68.8% fewer doctors per person
Republic of the Congo has 1.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Malawi has 0.5 as of 2022.
be 12.8% more likely to die by suicide
Republic of the Congo has a suicide rate of 6.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malawi, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 74.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Republic of the Congo, 19.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malawi, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
make 73.3% less money
Republic of the Congo has a GDP per capita of $2,515 as of 2025, while in Malawi, the GDP per capita is $672 as of 2025.
Life
be 16.5% less likely to be literate
In Republic of the Congo, the literacy rate is 80.6% as of 2021. In Malawi, it is 67.3% as of 2021.
be 40.7% more likely to die during infancy
In Republic of the Congo, approximately 27.0 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 69.6% less likely to have access to electricity
In Republic of the Congo, approximately 51% of people have electricity access (69% in urban areas, and 11% 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 59.9% less likely to have internet access
In Republic of the Congo, approximately 47.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malawi, about 19.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 17.7% less on education
Republic of the Congo spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Malawi spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 97.9% more on healthcare
Republic of the Congo spends 3.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malawi, that number is 6.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 2.4 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Republic of the Congo, road accidents kill 8.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malawi, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 92.9% less home broadband
Republic of the Congo has 1.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Malawi has 0.1 as of 2024.
live with 583.3 times more strain on fresh water
Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malawi withdraws 18% as of 2022.
Environment
be 34.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Republic of the Congo, air pollution causes 66.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malawi, it causes 43.0 as of 2019.
emit 83.6% less CO2
Republic of the Congo emits 1.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malawi emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Republic of the Congo vs. Malawi
MORE COMPARISONS
Malawi: At a glance
How big is Malawi compared to Republic of the Congo? See an in-depth size comparison.