Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 97.5% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Malawi, 8.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Sweden, that number is 0.2% of people as of 2016.

live 10.3 years longer

In Malawi, the average life expectancy is 72 years (69 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022. In Sweden, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022.

be 3.6 times more likely to be obese

In Malawi, 5.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Sweden, that number is 20.6% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 37.8 times more money

Malawi has a GDP per capita of $1,700 as of 2023, while in Sweden, the GDP per capita is $64,200 as of 2023.

be 68.2% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Malawi, 50.7% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Sweden, however, that number is 16.1% as of 2022.

be 50.6% more likely to be unemployed

In Malawi, 5.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Sweden, that number is 7.6% as of 2023.

pay a 90.3% higher top tax rate

Malawi has a top tax rate of 30.0% as of 2016. In Sweden, the top tax rate is 57.1% 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 Sweden, 5.0 women do as of 2020.

be 93.1% 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 Sweden, on the other hand, 2.3 children do as of 2022.

have 59.8% fewer children

In Malawi, there are approximately 26.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sweden, there are 10.7 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 Sweden, 100% of the population do as of 2022.

be 3.7 times more likely to have internet access

In Malawi, approximately 24.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Sweden, about 88.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 2.5 times more on education

Malawi spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Sweden spends 7.2% 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 Sweden, that number is 11.4% of GDP as of 2020.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: Malawi Revenue Authority, The World Factbook, Skatteverket.

Sweden: At a glance

Sweden is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 410,335 sq km. A military power during the 17th century, Sweden has not participated in any war for almost two centuries. An armed neutrality was preserved in both world wars. Sweden's long-successful economic formula of a capitalist system intermixed with substantial welfare elements was challenged in the 1990s by high unemployment and in 2000-02 and 2009 by the global economic downturns, but fiscal discipline over the past several years has allowed the country to weather economic vagaries. Sweden joined the EU in 1995, but the public rejected the introduction of the euro in a 2003 referendum.
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How big is Sweden compared to Malawi? See an in-depth size comparison.

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