Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malawi instead of Tonga, you would:
Health
be 89.2% less likely to be obese
In Tonga, 73.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 8.0% of people as of 2024.
live 5.5 years less
In Tonga, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 77 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 75.5% less spent on your healthcare
Tonga spends $512 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malawi spends $125 as of 2023.
have 94.7% fewer doctors per person
Tonga has 10.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Malawi has 0.5 as of 2022.
have 15.8% less access to essential health services
Tonga scores 57 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malawi scores 48 as of 2021.
be 60.0% more likely to die by suicide
Tonga has a suicide rate of 4.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malawi, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.5 times more likely to be unemployed
In Tonga, 2.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malawi, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
be 2.3 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Tonga, 20.6% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Malawi, however, that number is 47.3% as of 2024.
make 89.7% less money
Tonga has a GDP per capita of $6,547 as of 2025, while in Malawi, the GDP per capita is $672 as of 2025.
Life
have 35.2% more children
In Tonga, there are approximately 23.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malawi, there are 31.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.4 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Tonga, approximately 67.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malawi, 225.0 women do as of 2023.
be 32.3% less likely to be literate
In Tonga, the literacy rate is 99.5% as of 2023. In Malawi, it is 67.3% as of 2021.
be 4.9 times more likely to die during infancy
In Tonga, approximately 7.8 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 Tonga, 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 71.9% less likely to have internet access
In Tonga, approximately 67.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malawi, about 19.0% do as of 2024.
be 26.1% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Tonga, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 99% 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 48.2% less on education
Tonga spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Malawi spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 11.3% less on healthcare
Tonga spends 7.4% 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 Tonga, road accidents kill 8.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malawi, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 98.9% less home broadband
Tonga has 8.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Malawi has 0.1 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 86.5% less CO2
Tonga emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malawi emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 79.2% more likely to die from air pollution
In Tonga, air pollution causes 24.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malawi, it causes 43.0 as of 2019.
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: Tonga vs. Malawi
Malawi: At a glance
How big is Malawi compared to Tonga? See an in-depth size comparison.