World median is the middle country on each statistic: half of all countries with data are above it, half below. It is not an average, so it is never pulled up or down by giants or microstates.
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Malawi is 6% bigger than the median country.
Malawi: 118,480 km² (2023) · World median: 111,370 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Malawi: 0 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Malawi’s highest peak towers 667 m above the median country’s.
Malawi: 3,002 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Malawi has 3 times as many people as the median country.
Malawi: 22.2 million (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Malawi is 2.4 times as densely populated as the median country.
Malawi: 236 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the median country are 7.8 cm taller than in Malawi.
Malawi: 165.7 cm (2019) · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the median country are 4.4 cm taller than in Malawi.
Malawi: 156.1 cm (2019) · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the median country is 14 years older than in Malawi.
Malawi: 17.6 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Malawi have 1.7 more children on average than in the median country.
Malawi: 3.59 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.6% of people in the median country are 65 or older, versus 2.6% in Malawi.
Malawi: 2.6% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Malawi and the median country are practically level.
Malawi: 0 (2025) · World median: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Malawi has 2 official languages, the median country 1.
Malawi: 2 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The median country’s economy is 3 times the size of Malawi’s.
Malawi: $14.9 billion (2025) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The median country produces 11 times as much per person as Malawi.
Malawi: Int$1,899 (2025) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Malawi than in the median country (Gini 4.1 points higher).
Malawi: 38.5 (2019) · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
The median country and Malawi are practically level.
Malawi: 5.1% (2025) · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The median country spends 1.7% of its GDP on the military, Malawi 1.0%.
Malawi: 1% (2024) · World median: 1.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The median country’s price level (US = 100) is 1.3× Malawi’s.
Malawi: 35% (2025) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The median country spends 11 times as much on health per person as Malawi.
Malawi: $41 (2023) · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the median country live 7.1 years longer than in Malawi.
Malawi: 67.6 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Malawi is 3 times as likely to die before turning one as in the median country.
Malawi: 38 per 1,000 (2024) · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The median country has 31 times as many doctors per person as Malawi.
Malawi: 0.1 per 1,000 (2022) · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
24% of adults in the median country are obese, versus 6.7% in Malawi.
Malawi: 6.7% (2024) · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
19% of adults in the median country smoke, versus 8.9% in Malawi.
Malawi: 8.9% (2024) · World median: 19% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the median country rate their lives 2.55 points higher than in Malawi.
Malawi: 3.28 (2025) · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the median country drink 4.3 times as much alcohol as in Malawi.
Malawi: 1 litres (2023) · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The median country has 2 times as much meat per person as Malawi.
Malawi: 28.2 kg (2023) · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The median country has 319 kcal more food per person per day than Malawi.
Malawi: 2,618 kcal (2023) · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the median country put in 379 more hours a year than in Malawi.
Malawi: 1,596 hours (2023) · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the median country went to school 4.7 years longer than in Malawi.
Malawi: 5.2 years (2023) · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The median country welcomed 6.7 times as many tourists per resident as Malawi (2019).
Malawi: 0.05 (2019) · World median: 0.34 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
82% of people in the median country are online, versus 19% in Malawi.
Malawi: 19% (2024) · World median: 82% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the median country have electricity, versus 16% in Malawi.
Malawi: 15.6% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
64% of people in the median country live in cities, versus 18% in Malawi.
Malawi: 18% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The median country has 115 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Malawi 69.
Malawi: 69 (2024) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The median country’s railway network is 2.8 times as long as Malawi’s.
Malawi: 767 km (2014) · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the median country fly 1,512 times as many passengers per resident as those from Malawi.
Malawi: 0 (2023) · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 31% of the median country, but only 22% of Malawi.
Malawi: 22.4% (2023) · World median: 31.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the median country emits 34 times as much CO₂ as someone in Malawi.
Malawi: 0.1 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
96% of Malawi’s electricity is renewable, versus 31% in the median country.
Malawi: 95.6% (2024) · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Malawi carries 31% more fine dust than in the median country.
Malawi: 21.8 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Malawi: no data · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Malawi are 64% deadlier than in the median country.
Malawi: 20.2 per 100k (2021) · World median: 12.3 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The median country is on average 0.5 °C warmer than Malawi.
Malawi: 22.5°C (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Malawi gets 43% more rain than the median country.
Malawi: 1,453 mm (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Malawi bigger than the median country?
Malawi is larger. Malawi is 6% bigger than the median country.
Which has more people, Malawi or the median country?
Malawi has 3 times as many people as the median country (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Malawi or the median country?
People in the median country live 7.1 years longer than in Malawi. Life expectancy at birth is 67.6 years in Malawi and 74.6 in the median country.
Are people taller in Malawi or the median country?
Men in the median country are 7.8 cm taller than in Malawi (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
