Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Belgium instead of Malawi, you would:
Health
live 9.4 years longer
In Malawi, the average life expectancy is 72 years (69 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022. In Belgium, that number is 82 years (79 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022.
be 3.8 times more likely to be obese
In Malawi, 5.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Belgium, that number is 22.1% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 37.4 times more money
Malawi has a GDP per capita of $1,700 as of 2023, while in Belgium, the GDP per capita is $63,600 as of 2023.
be 75.7% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Malawi, 50.7% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Belgium, however, that number is 12.3% as of 2022.
pay a 79.0% higher top tax rate
Malawi has a top tax rate of 30.0% as of 2016. In Belgium, the top tax rate is 53.7% as of 2016.
Life
be 98.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Malawi, approximately 381.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Belgium, 5.0 women do as of 2020.
be 90.5% less likely to die during infancy
In Malawi, approximately 33.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Belgium, on the other hand, 3.2 children do as of 2022.
have 59.4% fewer children
In Malawi, there are approximately 26.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Belgium, there are 10.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 7.1 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Malawi, approximately 14% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Belgium, 100% of the population do as of 2022.
be 3.8 times more likely to have internet access
In Malawi, approximately 24.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Belgium, about 91.0% do as of 2021.
Expenditures
spend 2.3 times more on education
Malawi spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Belgium spends 6.7% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 2.1 times more on healthcare
Malawi spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Belgium, that number is 11.1% of GDP as of 2020.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: Malawi Revenue Authority, The World Factbook, Service Public Fédéral Finances.
Belgium: At a glance
How big is Belgium compared to Malawi? See an in-depth size comparison.