Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Malawi fits inside Tanzania 8 times
Malawi: 118,484 km² (2024) · Tanzania: 945,500 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Malawi: 0 km (2026 edition) · Tanzania: 1,424 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Tanzania’s highest peak towers 2,893 m above Malawi’s
Malawi: 3,002 m (2026 edition) · Tanzania: 5,895 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 65% of Malawi, versus 45% of Tanzania
Malawi: 65% (2024) · Tanzania: 45.1% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Tanzania has 3.2 times as many people as Malawi
Malawi: 22.2 million (2025) · Tanzania: 70.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Malawi is 3 times as densely populated as Tanzania
Malawi: 236 per km² (2025) · Tanzania: 80 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Tanzania are 1.3 cm taller than in Malawi
Malawi: 165.7 cm (2019) · Tanzania: 167 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Tanzania and Malawi are practically level
Malawi: 156.1 cm (2019) · Tanzania: 156.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Malawi is 0.34 years older than in Tanzania
Malawi: 17.6 years (2023) · Tanzania: 17.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Tanzania have 1.0 more children on average than in Malawi
Malawi: 3.59 children per woman (2024) · Tanzania: 4.54 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
Tanzania and Malawi are practically level
Malawi: 2.6% (2025) · Tanzania: 3% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Tanzania hosts 53% more refugees per resident than Malawi
Malawi: 1.6 per 1,000 (2025) · Tanzania: 2.4 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Malawi and Tanzania are practically level
Malawi: 0 (2026) · Tanzania: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Malawi and Tanzania are practically level
Malawi: 2 (2026) · Tanzania: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Tanzania’s economy is 6 times the size of Malawi’s
Malawi: $14.9 billion (2025) · Tanzania: $90.1 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Tanzania produces 2.4 times as much per person as Malawi
Malawi: Int$1,899 (2025) · Tanzania: Int$4,471 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Tanzania than in Malawi (Gini 2 points higher)
Malawi: 38.5 (2019) · Tanzania: 40.5 (2018)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
75% of people in Malawi live on less than $3 a day, versus 51% in Tanzania
Malawi: 75.4% (2019) · Tanzania: 51.3% (2018)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.1% in Malawi, versus 1.6% in Tanzania
Malawi: 5.1% (2025) · Tanzania: 1.6% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Tanzania and Malawi are practically level
Malawi: 1.1% (2025) · Tanzania: 1.2% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Malawi’s central government collects 16% of GDP in tax, Tanzania’s 12%
Malawi: 15.6% (2024) · Tanzania: 12.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Malawi’s price level (US = 100) is 1.2× Tanzania’s
Malawi: 35% (2025) · Tanzania: 29% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Malawi spends 14% more on health per person than Tanzania
Malawi: $41 (2023) · Tanzania: $36 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Malawi live 0.35 years longer than in Tanzania
Malawi: 67.6 years (2024) · Tanzania: 67.2 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Malawi is 32% more likely to die before turning one than in Tanzania
Malawi: 38 per 1,000 (2024) · Tanzania: 28.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Tanzania has 2.5 times as many doctors per person as Malawi
Malawi: 0.1 per 1,000 (2022) · Tanzania: 0.1 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Malawi: no data · Tanzania: 0.8 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Malawi is 44% higher than in Tanzania
Malawi: 21.5 per 100k (2023) · Tanzania: 14.9 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
10% of adults in Tanzania are obese, versus 6.7% in Malawi
Malawi: 6.7% (2024) · Tanzania: 10.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
8.9% of adults in Malawi smoke, versus 7.7% in Tanzania
Malawi: 8.9% (2024) · Tanzania: 7.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Tanzania rate their lives 0.62 points higher than in Malawi
Malawi: 3.28 (2025) · Tanzania: 3.90 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Tanzania drink 49% more alcohol than in Malawi
Malawi: 1 litres (2023) · Tanzania: 1.5 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Malawi has 2.3 times as much meat per person as Tanzania
Malawi: 28.2 kg (2023) · Tanzania: 12.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Malawi has 100 kcal more food per person per day than Tanzania
Malawi: 2,618 kcal (2023) · Tanzania: 2,518 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Tanzania put in 533 more hours a year than in Malawi
Malawi: 1,596 hours (2023) · Tanzania: 2,129 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Tanzania went to school 0.82 years longer than in Malawi
Malawi: 5.2 years (2023) · Tanzania: 6.1 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Malawi welcomed 2.3 times as many tourists per resident as Tanzania (2019)
Malawi: 0.05 (2019) · Tanzania: 0.02 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
Tanzania has 4 more World Heritage sites than Malawi (7 against 3)
Malawi: 3 (2026) · Tanzania: 7 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Tanzania has won 2 Olympic medals, Malawi none
Malawi: 0 (2026 edition) · Tanzania: 2 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
31% of people in Tanzania are online, versus 19% in Malawi
Malawi: 19% (2024) · Tanzania: 31% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Malawi is 58% faster than in Tanzania
Malawi: 89 Mbps (2026) · Tanzania: 56 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
52% of people in Tanzania have electricity, versus 16% in Malawi
Malawi: 15.6% (2024) · Tanzania: 52.4% (2024)
How many live in cities?
37% of people in Tanzania live in cities, versus 18% in Malawi
Malawi: 18% (2025) · Tanzania: 37% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Tanzania has 127 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Malawi 69
Malawi: 69 (2024) · Tanzania: 127 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Tanzania’s railway network is 3.5 times as long as Malawi’s
Malawi: 767 km (2014) · Tanzania: 2,701 km (2017)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Tanzania fly 172 times as many passengers per resident as those from Malawi
Malawi: 0.00016 (2023) · Tanzania: 0.03 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 50% of Tanzania, but only 22% of Malawi
Malawi: 22% (2024) · Tanzania: 49.6% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Tanzania emits 3.4 times as much CO₂ as someone in Malawi
Malawi: 0.1 t (2024) · Tanzania: 0.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
96% of Malawi’s electricity is renewable, versus 33% in Tanzania
Malawi: 95.6% (2024) · Tanzania: 32.9% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Tanzania carries 13% more fine dust than in Malawi
Malawi: 21.8 µg/m³ (2024) · Tanzania: 24.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Malawi: no data · Tanzania: 3.7 per 100k (2020)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Malawi are 65% deadlier than in Tanzania
Malawi: 33.2 per 100k (2023) · Tanzania: 20.1 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Tanzania is on average 0.7 °C warmer than Malawi
Malawi: 22.5°C (2016–2025 avg) · Tanzania: 23.1°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Malawi gets 32% more rain than Tanzania
Malawi: 1,453 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Tanzania: 1,102 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Malawi bigger than Tanzania?
Tanzania is larger. Malawi fits inside Tanzania 8 times.
Which has more people, Malawi or Tanzania?
Tanzania has 3.2 times as many people as Malawi (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Malawi or Tanzania?
People in Malawi live 0.35 years longer than in Tanzania. Life expectancy at birth is 67.6 years in Malawi and 67.2 in Tanzania.
Are people taller in Malawi or Tanzania?
Men in Tanzania are 1.3 cm taller than in Malawi (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
