Compare
Ghana vs Malawi
How Ghana and Malawi compare on 39 measures, from 1820 to 2025. The main differences:
- Life expectancy · In 2023, Malawi was higher: 67.4 years against 65.5 years
- GDP per person · In 2025, Ghana was higher: $2,261 against $548
- Population · In 2023, Ghana was higher: 33.8 million people against 21.1 million people
- Military spending · In 2025, Malawi was higher: 1.15% of GDP against 0.48% of GDP
- CO₂ per person · In 2024, Ghana was higher: 0.7 tonnes against 0.22 tonnes
Every measure
Health
- Life expectancyGhana: 65.5 years in 2023Malawi: 67.4 years in 2023
- Child mortalityGhana: 3.6 per 100 live births in 2024Malawi: 4.9 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityGhana: 30.7 per 1,000 live births in 2023Malawi: 29.6 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterGhana: 44.5% in 2022Malawi: 17.8% in 2022
- DepressionGhana: 3.4% in 2017Malawi: 3.45% in 2017
- Suicide rateGhana: 9.7 per 100,000 people in 2017Malawi: 12.1 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationGhana: 33.8 million people in 2023Malawi: 21.1 million people in 2023
- Population growthGhana: 1.9% a year in 2023Malawi: 2.57% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateGhana: 3.4 births per woman in 2023Malawi: 3.65 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationGhana: 58.9% in 2025Malawi: 17.6% in 2025
- Median ageGhana: 20.9 years in 2023Malawi: 17.6 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overGhana: 3.6% in 2023Malawi: 2.6% in 2023
- Net migration rateGhana: -0.3 per 1,000 people in 2023Malawi: -0.3 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingGhana: 0.48% of GDP in 2025Malawi: 1.15% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsGhana: $385M in 2025Malawi: $128M in 2025
- Military spending per personGhana: $15 in 2025Malawi: $7 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingGhana: 2.4% of government spending in 2025Malawi: 3.8% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelGhana: 16,000 people in 2020Malawi: 15,000 people in 2020
- National powerGhana: 0.17% of world capability in 2022Malawi: 0.07% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersGhana: 0.13% of the labour force in 2020Malawi: 0.2% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsGhana: 5 million TIV in 2025Malawi: 2 million TIV in 2024
- Arms exportsGhana: 19 million TIV in 2005Malawi: 1 million TIV in 2000
Climate
Technology and environment
Each country on its own
Good to know
- Sources: UN, Gapminder and UN IGME, WHO/UNICEF, IHME, World Bank, IMF, UNESCO, Our World in Data, V-Dem, UCDP, SIPRI, IISS, Correlates of War, ERA5, CMIP6, EDGAR, ITU and FAO. Each measure’s page names its own and what it counts.
- Values are drawn on today’s borders. Years without a published value are left empty, never filled in.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time