Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malawi instead of Somalia, you would:
Health
live 8.6 years longer
In Somalia, the average life expectancy is 59 years (56 years for men, 62 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 46.3% less likely to be obese
In Somalia, 14.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 8.0% of people as of 2024.
see 2.4 times more spent on your healthcare
Somalia spends $52 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malawi spends $125 as of 2023.
have 77.8% more access to essential health services
Somalia scores 27 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malawi scores 48 as of 2021.
be 62.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Somalia, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 6.2% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 73.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Somalia, 18.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malawi, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
be 14.6% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Somalia, 55.4% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Malawi, however, that number is 47.3% as of 2024.
Life
be 60.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Somalia, approximately 563.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malawi, 225.0 women do as of 2023.
be 24.4% more likely to be literate
In Somalia, the literacy rate is 54.1% as of 2022. In Malawi, it is 67.3% as of 2021.
be 41.9% less likely to die during infancy
In Somalia, approximately 65.4 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.
have 26.5% fewer children
In Somalia, there are approximately 42.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malawi, there are 31.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 69.0% less likely to have access to electricity
In Somalia, approximately 50% of people have electricity access (79% in urban areas, and 24% 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 32.1% less likely to have internet access
In Somalia, approximately 27.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malawi, about 19.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 74.6% more on healthcare
Somalia spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malawi, that number is 6.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Infrastructure
live with 28.7% less strain on fresh water
Somalia withdraws 25% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malawi withdraws 18% as of 2022.
find 87.5% less home broadband
Somalia has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Malawi has 0.1 as of 2024.
Environment
be 32.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Somalia, air pollution causes 64.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malawi, it causes 43.0 as of 2019.
emit 4.4 times more CO2
Somalia emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malawi emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Somalia vs. Malawi
Malawi: At a glance
How big is Malawi compared to Somalia? See an in-depth size comparison.