Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Malawi instead of Puerto Rico, you would:

Health

live 9.2 years less

In Puerto Rico, the average life expectancy is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 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

be 14.8% less likely to be unemployed

In Puerto Rico, 6.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Malawi, that number is 5.1% as of 2022.

make 95.6% less money

Puerto Rico has a GDP per capita of $34,300 as of 2022, while in Malawi, the GDP per capita is $1,500 as of 2022.

Life

have 3.4 times more children

In Puerto Rico, there are approximately 7.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malawi, there are 26.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 11.2 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Puerto Rico, approximately 34.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Malawi, 381.0 women do as of 2020.

be 27.2% less likely to be literate

In Puerto Rico, the literacy rate is 92.4% as of 2021. In Malawi, it is 67.3% as of 2021.

be 5.5 times more likely to die during infancy

In Puerto Rico, approximately 6.0 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 Puerto Rico, approximately 100% of the population has electricity access as of 2021. In Malawi, 14% of the population do as of 2021.

be 69.1% less likely to have internet access

In Puerto Rico, approximately 77.7% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Malawi, about 24.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 19.4% less on education

Puerto Rico spends 3.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Malawi spends 2.9% of total GDP on education 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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How big is Malawi compared to Puerto Rico? See an in-depth size comparison.

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