Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malawi instead of Kenya, you would:
Health
live 2.8 years longer
In Kenya, the average life expectancy is 70 years (68 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2022. In Malawi, that number is 72 years (69 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022.
be 18.3% less likely to be obese
In Kenya, 7.1% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Malawi, that number is 5.8% of people as of 2016.
be 92.9% more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Kenya, 4.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Malawi, that number is 8.1% of people as of 2020.
Economy
be 11.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Kenya, 5.7% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Malawi, that number is 5.0% as of 2023.
make 70.2% less money
Kenya has a GDP per capita of $5,700 as of 2023, while in Malawi, the GDP per capita is $1,700 as of 2023.
be 40.4% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Kenya, 36.1% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Malawi, however, that number is 50.7% as of 2019.
Life
be 28.1% less likely to die during childbirth
In Kenya, approximately 530.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Malawi, 381.0 women do as of 2020.
be 18.5% less likely to be literate
In Kenya, the literacy rate is 82.6% as of 2021. In Malawi, it is 67.3% as of 2021.
be 20.0% more likely to die during infancy
In Kenya, approximately 27.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Malawi, on the other hand, 33.4 children do as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 29.2% more likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Kenya, approximately 71% of people have improved drinking water access (91% in urban areas, and 63% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Malawi, that number is 92% of people on average (97% in urban areas, and 91% in rural areas) as of 2020.
be 81.6% less likely to have access to electricity
In Kenya, approximately 76% of people have electricity access (98% in urban areas, and 68% in rural areas) as of 2022. In Malawi, that number is 14% of people on average (54% in urban areas, and 6% in rural areas) as of 2022.
be 17.2% less likely to have internet access
In Kenya, approximately 29.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Malawi, about 24.0% do as of 2021.
Expenditures
spend 39.6% less on education
Kenya spends 4.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Malawi spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 25.6% more on healthcare
Kenya spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Malawi, that number is 5.4% of GDP as of 2020.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.
Malawi: At a glance
How big is Malawi compared to Kenya? See an in-depth size comparison.