Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Malawi instead of New Zealand, you would:

Health

be 81.2% less likely to be obese

In New Zealand, 30.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Malawi, that number is 5.8% of people as of 2016.

be 81.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In New Zealand, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Malawi, that number is 8.1% of people as of 2020.

live 10.1 years less

In New Zealand, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2022. In Malawi, that number is 72 years (69 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 96.7% less money

New Zealand has a GDP per capita of $45,200 as of 2022, while in Malawi, the GDP per capita is $1,500 as of 2022.

be 54.8% more likely to be unemployed

In New Zealand, 3.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Malawi, that number is 5.1% as of 2022.

Life

have 2.1 times more children

In New Zealand, there are approximately 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malawi, there are 26.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 54.4 times more likely to die during childbirth

In New Zealand, approximately 7.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Malawi, 381.0 women do as of 2020.

be 9.7 times more likely to die during infancy

In New Zealand, approximately 3.4 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 85.9% less likely to have access to electricity

In New Zealand, approximately 100% of the population has electricity access as of 2021. In Malawi, 14% of the population do as of 2021.

be 75.0% less likely to have internet access

In New Zealand, approximately 96.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Malawi, about 24.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 51.7% less on education

New Zealand spends 6.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Malawi spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 46.0% less on healthcare

New Zealand spends 10.0% 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

Malawi is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 94,080 sq km. Established in 1891, the British protectorate of Nyasaland became the independent nation of Malawi in 1964. After three decades of one-party rule under President Hastings Kamuzu BANDA the country held multiparty elections in 1994, under a provisional constitution that came into full effect the following year. President Bingu wa MUTHARIKA, elected in May 2004 after a failed attempt by the previous president to amend the constitution to permit another term, struggled to assert his authority against his predecessor and subsequently started his own party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in 2005. MUTHARIKA was reelected to a second term in May 2009. He oversaw some economic improvement in his first term, but was accused of economic mismanagement and poor governance in his second term. He died abruptly in April 2012 and was succeeded by his vice president, Joyce BANDA, who had earlier started her own party, the People's Party (PP). Population growth, increasing pressure on agricultural lands, corruption, and the scourge of HIV/AIDS pose major problems for Malawi.
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