Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malawi instead of Solomon Islands, you would:
Health
be 63.4% less likely to be obese
In Solomon Islands, 21.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 8.0% of people as of 2024.
be 61.4% less likely to die by suicide
Solomon Islands has a suicide rate of 19.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malawi, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 62.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Solomon Islands, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 6.2% of people as of 2024.
live 3.1 years less
In Solomon Islands, the average life expectancy is 71 years (69 years for men, 72 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 18.3% less spent on your healthcare
Solomon Islands spends $153 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malawi spends $125 as of 2023.
have 77.3% fewer doctors per person
Solomon Islands has 2.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Malawi has 0.5 as of 2022.
Economy
be 3.5 times more likely to be unemployed
In Solomon Islands, 1.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malawi, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
make 67.8% less money
Solomon Islands has a GDP per capita of $2,086 as of 2025, while in Malawi, the GDP per capita is $672 as of 2025.
Life
have 16.6% more children
In Solomon Islands, there are approximately 26.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malawi, there are 31.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 82.9% more likely to die during childbirth
In Solomon Islands, approximately 123.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malawi, 225.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.3 times more likely to die during infancy
In Solomon Islands, approximately 16.4 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 80.8% less likely to have access to electricity
In Solomon Islands, approximately 81% of people have electricity access (81% in urban areas, and 81% 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 34.7% less likely to have internet access
In Solomon Islands, approximately 29.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malawi, about 19.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 66.8% less on education
Solomon Islands spends 8.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Malawi spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 21.8% more on healthcare
Solomon Islands spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malawi, that number is 6.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 80.4% more likely to die in a road accident
In Solomon Islands, road accidents kill 11.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malawi, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 18.2% less home broadband
Solomon Islands has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Malawi has 0.1 as of 2024.
Environment
be 24.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In Solomon Islands, air pollution causes 57.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malawi, it causes 43.0 as of 2019.
emit 42.1% less CO2
Solomon Islands emits 0.4 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). How we calculate this
Compare further: Solomon Islands vs. Malawi
Malawi: At a glance
How big is Malawi compared to Solomon Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.