Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malawi instead of Zambia, you would:
Health
be 34.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Zambia, 9.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 6.2% of people as of 2024.
live 1.0 years longer
In Zambia, the average life expectancy is 67 years (64 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
be 30.9% less likely to be obese
In Zambia, 11.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 8.0% of people as of 2024.
see 48.6% less spent on your healthcare
Zambia spends $244 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malawi spends $125 as of 2023.
have 83.3% fewer doctors per person
Zambia has 3.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Malawi has 0.5 as of 2022.
have 14.3% less access to essential health services
Zambia scores 56 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malawi scores 48 as of 2021.
Economy
be 14.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Zambia, 5.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malawi, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
be 21.2% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Zambia, 60.0% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Malawi, however, that number is 47.3% as of 2024.
make 49.0% less money
Zambia has a GDP per capita of $1,318 as of 2025, while in Malawi, the GDP per capita is $672 as of 2025.
Life
be 2.6 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Zambia, approximately 85.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malawi, 225.0 women do as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 10.9% more likely to have internet access
In Zambia, approximately 17.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malawi, about 19.0% do as of 2024.
be 69.5% less likely to have access to electricity
In Zambia, approximately 51% of people have electricity access (90% in urban areas, and 18% 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 32.4% less on education
Zambia spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Malawi spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Safety
be 65.4% less likely to be murdered
Zambia has a homicide rate of 5.2 per 100,000 people as of 2015. In Malawi, that number is 1.8 per 100,000 as of 2012.
be 18.1% more likely to die in a road accident
In Zambia, road accidents kill 17.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malawi, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 88.6% less home broadband
Zambia has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malawi has 0.1 as of 2024.
live with 6.2 times more strain on fresh water
Zambia withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malawi withdraws 18% as of 2022.
Environment
be 14.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Zambia, air pollution causes 50.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malawi, it causes 43.0 as of 2019.
emit 59.3% less CO2
Zambia emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malawi emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2015–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2012–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Zambia vs. Malawi
Malawi: At a glance
How big is Malawi compared to Zambia? See an in-depth size comparison.