If you lived in Malawi instead of Tuvalu, you would:

Health

be 87.7% less likely to be obese

In Tuvalu, 65.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 8.0% of people as of 2024.

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be 15.5 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Tuvalu, 0.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 6.2% of people as of 2024.

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see 92.5% less spent on your healthcare

Tuvalu spends $1,671 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malawi spends $125 as of 2023.

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have 96.0% fewer doctors per person

Tuvalu has 13.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Malawi has 0.5 as of 2022.

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Economy

make 88.9% less money

Tuvalu has a GDP per capita of $6,041 as of 2025, while in Malawi, the GDP per capita is $672 as of 2025.

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Life

have 41.7% more children

In Tuvalu, there are approximately 22.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malawi, there are 31.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 32.4% more likely to die during childbirth

In Tuvalu, approximately 170.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malawi, 225.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 32.7% less likely to be literate

In Tuvalu, the literacy rate is 100.0% as of 2022. In Malawi, it is 67.3% as of 2021.

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be 2.3 times more likely to die during infancy

In Tuvalu, approximately 16.5 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.

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Basic Needs

be 84.4% less likely to have access to electricity

In Tuvalu, 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.

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be 76.6% less likely to have internet access

In Tuvalu, approximately 81.2% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Malawi, about 19.0% do as of 2024.

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be 26.0% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Tuvalu, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water (98% 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.

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Expenditures

spend 78.6% less on education

Tuvalu spends 12.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Malawi spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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spend 75.9% less on healthcare

Tuvalu spends 27.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malawi, that number is 6.5% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 12.8% more likely to die in a road accident

In Tuvalu, road accidents kill 17.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malawi, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 98.0% less home broadband

Tuvalu has 4.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Malawi has 0.1 as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). 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.
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