Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malawi instead of Romania, you would:
Health
be 75.3% less likely to be obese
In Romania, 32.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 8.0% of people as of 2024.
be 21.3% less likely to die by suicide
Romania has a suicide rate of 9.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malawi, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 31.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Romania, 0.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 6.2% of people as of 2024.
live 8.9 years less
In Romania, the average life expectancy is 76 years (73 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
see 95.2% less spent on your healthcare
Romania spends $2,614 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malawi spends $125 as of 2023.
have 98.5% fewer doctors per person
Romania has 36.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Malawi has 0.5 as of 2022.
have 38.5% less access to essential health services
Romania scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malawi scores 48 as of 2021.
Economy
be 15.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Romania, 6.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malawi, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
be 2.6 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Romania, 18.4% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Malawi, however, that number is 47.3% as of 2024.
make 97.0% less money
Romania has a GDP per capita of $22,538 as of 2025, while in Malawi, the GDP per capita is $672 as of 2025.
Life
have 4.2 times more children
In Romania, there are approximately 7.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malawi, there are 31.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 18.8 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Romania, approximately 12.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malawi, 225.0 women do as of 2023.
be 32.1% less likely to be literate
In Romania, the literacy rate is 99.2% as of 2021. In Malawi, it is 67.3% as of 2021.
be 6.3 times more likely to die during infancy
In Romania, approximately 6.0 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 84.4% less likely to have access to electricity
In Romania, 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 79.2% less likely to have internet access
In Romania, approximately 91.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malawi, about 19.0% do as of 2024.
be 27.0% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Romania, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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.
Expenditures
spend 16.2% less on education
Romania spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Malawi spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 14.4% more on healthcare
Romania spends 5.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malawi, that number is 6.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 2.1 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Romania, road accidents kill 9.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malawi, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 99.7% less home broadband
Romania has 35.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malawi has 0.1 as of 2024.
live with 2.3 times more strain on fresh water
Romania withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malawi withdraws 18% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 94.1% less CO2
Romania emits 3.7 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 (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Romania vs. Malawi
Malawi: At a glance
How big is Malawi compared to Romania? See an in-depth size comparison.