Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Malawi instead of United Kingdom, you would:

Health

be 79.1% less likely to be obese

In United Kingdom, 27.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Malawi, that number is 5.8% of people as of 2016.

live 17.9 years less

In United Kingdom, the average life expectancy is 81 years (79 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2020. In Malawi, that number is 63 years (61 years for men, 65 years for women) as of 2020.

Economy

pay a 33.3% lower top tax rate

United Kingdom has a top tax rate of 45.0% as of 2016. In Malawi, the top tax rate is 30.0% as of 2016.

make 97.3% less money

United Kingdom has a GDP per capita of $44,300 as of 2017, while in Malawi, the GDP per capita is $1,200 as of 2017.

be 4.6 times more likely to be unemployed

In United Kingdom, 4.4% of adults are unemployed as of 2017. In Malawi, that number is 20.4% as of 2013.

be 3.4 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In United Kingdom, 15.0% live below the poverty line as of 2013. In Malawi, however, that number is 50.7% as of 2010.

Life

have 3.4 times more children

In United Kingdom, there are approximately 11.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020. In Malawi, there are 40.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020.

be 49.9 times more likely to die during childbirth

In United Kingdom, approximately 7.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Malawi, 349.0 women do as of 2017.

be 9.6 times more likely to die during infancy

In United Kingdom, approximately 4.1 children die before they reach the age of one as of 2020. In Malawi, on the other hand, 39.5 children do as of 2020.

Basic Needs

be 89.0% less likely to have access to electricity

In United Kingdom, approximately 100% of the population has electricity access as of 2016. In Malawi, 11% of the population do as of 2017.

be 85.5% less likely to have internet access

In United Kingdom, approximately 94.9% of the population has internet access as of 2018. In Malawi, about 13.8% do as of 2018.

be 11.3% less likely to have access to improved drinking water

In United Kingdom, approximately 100% of people have improved drinking water access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2017. In Malawi, that number is 89% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 87% in rural areas) as of 2017.

Expenditures

spend 27.3% less on education

United Kingdom spends 5.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2016. Malawi spends 4.0% of total GDP on education as of 2017.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: Malawi Revenue Authority, The World Factbook, HM Revenue & Customs.

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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