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

Health

be 39.9% less likely to be obese

In Yemen, 13.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 8.0% of people as of 2024.

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have 14.3% more access to essential health services

Yemen scores 42 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malawi scores 48 as of 2021.

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be 62.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Yemen, 0.1% 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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live 1.9 years less

In Yemen, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 25.8% less spent on your healthcare

Yemen spends $169 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malawi spends $125 as of 2023.

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have 44.9% fewer doctors per person

Yemen has 1.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Malawi has 0.5 as of 2022.

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be 79.8% more likely to die by suicide

Yemen has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malawi, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 70.7% less likely to be unemployed

In Yemen, 17.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malawi, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.

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Life

be 90.7% more likely to die during childbirth

In Yemen, approximately 118.0 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 12.4% more likely to die during infancy

In Yemen, approximately 33.8 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.

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Basic Needs

be 81.3% less likely to have access to electricity

In Yemen, approximately 84% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 75% 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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Expenditures

spend 32.7% less on healthcare

Yemen spends 9.7% 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 71.4% less likely to be murdered

Yemen has a homicide rate of 6.3 per 100,000 people as of 2013. In Malawi, that number is 1.8 per 100,000 as of 2012.

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be 32.2% less likely to die in a road accident

In Yemen, road accidents kill 29.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malawi, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 89.7% less strain on fresh water

Yemen withdraws 170% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malawi withdraws 18% as of 2022.

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find 92.9% less home broadband

Yemen has 1.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Malawi has 0.1 as of 2024.

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Environment

be 60.6% less likely to die from air pollution

In Yemen, air pollution causes 109.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malawi, it causes 43.0 as of 2019.

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emit 15.4% less CO2

Yemen emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malawi emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2012–2021), World Health Organization (2024). 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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