Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malawi instead of Uruguay, you would:
Health
be 77.1% less likely to be obese
In Uruguay, 35.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 8.0% of people as of 2024.
be 69.4% less likely to die by suicide
Uruguay has a suicide rate of 24.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malawi, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 10.7 years less
In Uruguay, the average life expectancy is 78 years (74 years for men, 82 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 96.0% less spent on your healthcare
Uruguay spends $3,135 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malawi spends $125 as of 2023.
have 98.8% fewer doctors per person
Uruguay has 46.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Malawi has 0.5 as of 2022.
have 41.5% less access to essential health services
Uruguay scores 82 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malawi scores 48 as of 2021.
Economy
be 32.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Uruguay, 7.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malawi, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
be 2.7 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Uruguay, 17.3% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Malawi, however, that number is 47.3% as of 2024.
make 97.3% less money
Uruguay has a GDP per capita of $25,216 as of 2025, while in Malawi, the GDP per capita is $672 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.2 times more children
In Uruguay, there are approximately 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malawi, there are 31.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 15.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Uruguay, approximately 15.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malawi, 225.0 women do as of 2023.
be 32.0% less likely to be literate
In Uruguay, the literacy rate is 98.9% as of 2024. In Malawi, it is 67.3% as of 2021.
be 6.1 times more likely to die during infancy
In Uruguay, approximately 6.2 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 Uruguay, 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 79.4% less likely to have internet access
In Uruguay, approximately 92.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malawi, about 19.0% do as of 2024.
be 26.7% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Uruguay, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 95% 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 42.2% less on education
Uruguay spends 4.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Malawi spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 27.6% less on healthcare
Uruguay spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malawi, that number is 6.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 55.4% more likely to die in a road accident
In Uruguay, road accidents kill 13.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malawi, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 99.7% less home broadband
Uruguay has 33.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malawi has 0.1 as of 2024.
live with 45.2% more strain on fresh water
Uruguay withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malawi withdraws 18% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 91.4% less CO2
Uruguay emits 2.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malawi emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.7 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Uruguay, air pollution causes 16.0 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: Uruguay vs. Malawi
Malawi: At a glance
How big is Malawi compared to Uruguay? See an in-depth size comparison.