Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malawi instead of Syria, you would:
Health
be 79.1% less likely to be obese
In Syria, 27.8% 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 Syria, 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 1.8 years less
In Syria, the average life expectancy is 74 years (73 years for men, 76 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 62.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Syria, 13.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Malawi, that number is 5.0% as of 2023.
be 38.5% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Syria, 82.5% live below the poverty line as of 2014. In Malawi, however, that number is 50.7% as of 2019.
make 41.4% less money
Syria has a GDP per capita of $2,900 as of 2021, while in Malawi, the GDP per capita is $1,700 as of 2023.
pay a 36.4% higher top tax rate
Syria has a top tax rate of 22.0% as of 2016. In Malawi, the top tax rate is 30.0% as of 2016.
Life
have 22.6% more children
In Syria, there are approximately 21.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malawi, there are 26.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 12.7 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Syria, approximately 30.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Malawi, 381.0 women do as of 2020.
be 22.1% less likely to be literate
In Syria, the literacy rate is 86.4% as of 2015. In Malawi, it is 67.3% as of 2021.
be 2.1 times more likely to die during infancy
In Syria, approximately 15.9 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 84.3% less likely to have access to electricity
In Syria, approximately 89% of people have electricity access (100% 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 48.5% less likely to have internet access
In Syria, approximately 46.6% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Malawi, about 24.0% do as of 2021.
Expenditures
spend 43.1% less on education
Syria spends 5.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2009. Malawi spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: Malawi Revenue Authority, The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance, Syria.
Malawi: At a glance
How big is Malawi compared to Syria? See an in-depth size comparison.