Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Malawi instead of United States, you would:

Health

be 84.0% less likely to be obese

In United States, 36.2% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Malawi, that number is 5.8% of people as of 2016.

live 8.2 years less

In United States, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 83 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

pay a 24.2% lower top tax rate

United States has a top tax rate of 39.6% as of 2016. In Malawi, the top tax rate is 30.0% as of 2016.

make 97.7% less money

United States has a GDP per capita of $73,600 as of 2023, while in Malawi, the GDP per capita is $1,700 as of 2023.

be 38.8% more likely to be unemployed

In United States, 3.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Malawi, that number is 5.0% as of 2023.

be 3.4 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In United States, 15.1% live below the poverty line as of 2010. In Malawi, however, that number is 50.7% as of 2019.

Life

have 2.2 times more children

In United States, there are approximately 12.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malawi, there are 26.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 18.1 times more likely to die during childbirth

In United States, approximately 21.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Malawi, 381.0 women do as of 2020.

be 6.5 times more likely to die during infancy

In United States, approximately 5.2 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 86.0% less likely to have access to electricity

In United States, approximately 100% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Malawi, 14% of the population do as of 2022.

be 73.9% less likely to have internet access

In United States, approximately 92.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Malawi, about 24.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 52.5% less on education

United States spends 6.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Malawi spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 71.3% less on healthcare

United States spends 18.8% 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: Malawi Revenue Authority, The World Factbook, Internal Revenue Service.

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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