Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malawi instead of Zimbabwe, you would:
Health
be 36.7% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Zimbabwe, 9.8% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 6.2% of people as of 2024.
live 4.5 years longer
In Zimbabwe, the average life expectancy is 63 years (60 years for men, 65 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 45.6% less likely to be obese
In Zimbabwe, 14.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 8.0% of people as of 2024.
see 21.6% more spent on your healthcare
Zimbabwe spends $103 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malawi spends $125 as of 2023.
be 56.3% less likely to die by suicide
Zimbabwe has a suicide rate of 17.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malawi, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
have 60.3% fewer doctors per person
Zimbabwe has 1.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Malawi has 0.5 as of 2022.
have 12.7% less access to essential health services
Zimbabwe scores 55 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malawi scores 48 as of 2021.
Economy
be 45.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Zimbabwe, 9.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malawi, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
make 77.8% less money
Zimbabwe has a GDP per capita of $3,021 as of 2025, while in Malawi, the GDP per capita is $672 as of 2025.
Life
be 37.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In Zimbabwe, approximately 358.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malawi, 225.0 women do as of 2023.
be 39.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Zimbabwe, approximately 62.4 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.
be 25.0% less likely to be literate
In Zimbabwe, the literacy rate is 89.7% as of 2021. In Malawi, it is 67.3% as of 2021.
Basic Needs
be 74.8% less likely to have access to electricity
In Zimbabwe, approximately 62% of people have electricity access (84% in urban areas, and 51% 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 54.5% less likely to have internet access
In Zimbabwe, approximately 41.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malawi, about 19.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 7.2 times more on education
Zimbabwe spends 0.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Malawi spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 2.2 times more on healthcare
Zimbabwe spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malawi, that number is 6.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 32.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Zimbabwe, road accidents kill 29.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malawi, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 62.0% less strain on fresh water
Zimbabwe withdraws 46% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malawi withdraws 18% as of 2022.
find 95.4% less home broadband
Zimbabwe has 1.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malawi has 0.1 as of 2024.
Environment
be 23.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Zimbabwe, air pollution causes 56.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malawi, it causes 43.0 as of 2019.
emit 71.4% less CO2
Zimbabwe emits 0.8 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: Zimbabwe vs. Malawi
Malawi: At a glance
How big is Malawi compared to Zimbabwe? See an in-depth size comparison.