Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malawi instead of Uganda, you would:
Health
be 15.5% less likely to be obese
In Uganda, 9.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 8.0% of people as of 2024.
be 26.5% more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Uganda, 4.9% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 6.2% of people as of 2024.
live 0.9 years less
In Uganda, the average life expectancy is 68 years (65 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
have 71.7% fewer doctors per person
Uganda has 1.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Malawi has 0.5 as of 2022.
be 37.6% more likely to die by suicide
Uganda has a suicide rate of 5.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malawi, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 84.4% more likely to be unemployed
In Uganda, 2.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malawi, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
be 2.9 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Uganda, 16.1% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Malawi, however, that number is 47.3% as of 2024.
make 44.3% less money
Uganda has a GDP per capita of $1,206 as of 2025, while in Malawi, the GDP per capita is $672 as of 2025.
Life
be 32.4% more likely to die during childbirth
In Uganda, 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.
be 12.6% less likely to be literate
In Uganda, the literacy rate is 77.0% as of 2024. In Malawi, it is 67.3% as of 2021.
Basic Needs
be 2.1 times more likely to have internet access
In Uganda, approximately 8.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malawi, about 19.0% do as of 2024.
be 15.9% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Uganda, approximately 63% of people have access to drinking water (80% in urban areas, and 57% 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.
be 69.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Uganda, approximately 52% of people have electricity access (76% in urban areas, and 42% 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.
Expenditures
spend 54.0% more on healthcare
Uganda spends 4.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malawi, that number is 6.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 26.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In Uganda, road accidents kill 16.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malawi, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 57.1% less home broadband
Uganda has 0.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malawi has 0.1 as of 2024.
live with 3.0 times more strain on fresh water
Uganda withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malawi withdraws 18% as of 2022.
Environment
be 28.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Uganda, air pollution causes 60.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malawi, it causes 43.0 as of 2019.
emit 29.4% more CO2
Uganda emits 0.2 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), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Uganda vs. Malawi
Malawi: At a glance
How big is Malawi compared to Uganda? See an in-depth size comparison.