Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Malawi instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:

Health

live 5.4 years longer

In Sao Tome and Principe, the average life expectancy is 67 years (65 years for men, 69 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 53.2% less likely to be obese

In Sao Tome and Principe, 12.4% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Malawi, that number is 5.8% of people as of 2016.

be 27.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Sao Tome and Principe, 0.3% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Malawi, that number is 8.1% of people as of 2020.

Economy

be 64.5% less likely to be unemployed

In Sao Tome and Principe, 14.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Malawi, that number is 5.0% as of 2023.

make 69.1% less money

Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $5,500 as of 2023, while in Malawi, the GDP per capita is $1,700 as of 2023.

Life

be 24.7% less likely to die during infancy

In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 44.4 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.

be 2.6 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 146.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Malawi, 381.0 women do as of 2020.

be 29.0% less likely to be literate

In Sao Tome and Principe, the literacy rate is 94.8% as of 2021. In Malawi, it is 67.3% as of 2021.

Basic Needs

be 82.1% less likely to have access to electricity

In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 78% of people have electricity access (80% in urban areas, and 74% 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 52.9% less likely to have internet access

In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 51.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Malawi, about 24.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 42.0% less on education

Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Malawi spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 10.2% more on healthcare

Sao Tome and Principe spends 4.9% 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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