If you lived in Malawi instead of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, you would:

Health

be 76.9% less likely to be obese

In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 34.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 8.0% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 7.8 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 0.8% 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 3.8 years less

In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the average life expectancy is 71 years (69 years for men, 74 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 86.2% less spent on your healthcare

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines spends $908 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malawi spends $125 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 30.4% less access to essential health services

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines scores 69 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malawi scores 48 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 18.5 times more likely to die by suicide

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has a suicide rate of 0.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malawi, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 71.8% less likely to be unemployed

In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 18.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malawi, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

make 94.7% less money

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has a GDP per capita of $12,562 as of 2025, while in Malawi, the GDP per capita is $672 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

have 2.6 times more children

In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, there are approximately 12.0 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 4.0 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, approximately 56.0 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 3.7 times more likely to die during infancy

In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, approximately 10.2 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 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 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 75.1% less likely to have internet access

In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, approximately 76.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malawi, about 19.0% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 57.4% less on education

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines spends 6.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Malawi spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

View global rankings →

spend 47.1% more on healthcare

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines spends 4.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malawi, that number is 6.5% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 4.2 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, road accidents kill 4.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malawi, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 99.7% less home broadband

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has 29.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malawi has 0.1 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live with 2.2 times more strain on fresh water

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malawi withdraws 18% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Environment

emit 83.2% less CO2

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines emits 1.3 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 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 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). 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 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

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