Compare
Malawi vs Nigeria
How Malawi and Nigeria compare on 39 measures, from 1820 to 2025. The main differences:
- Life expectancy · In 2023, Malawi was higher: 67.4 years against 54.5 years
- GDP per person · In 2025, Nigeria was higher: $2,369 against $548
- Population · In 2023, Nigeria was higher: 228 million people against 21.1 million people
- Military spending · In 2025, Malawi was higher: 1.15% of GDP against 0.91% of GDP
- CO₂ per person · In 2024, Nigeria was higher: 0.57 tonnes against 0.22 tonnes
Every measure
Health
- Life expectancyMalawi: 67.4 years in 2023Nigeria: 54.5 years in 2023
- Child mortalityMalawi: 4.9 per 100 live births in 2024Nigeria: 11.6 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityMalawi: 29.6 per 1,000 live births in 2023Nigeria: 69.5 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterMalawi: 17.8% in 2022Nigeria: 29% in 2022
- DepressionMalawi: 3.45% in 2017Nigeria: 3.92% in 2017
- Suicide rateMalawi: 12.1 per 100,000 people in 2017Nigeria: 7.5 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationMalawi: 21.1 million people in 2023Nigeria: 228 million people in 2023
- Population growthMalawi: 2.57% a year in 2023Nigeria: 2.1% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateMalawi: 3.65 births per woman in 2023Nigeria: 4.48 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationMalawi: 17.6% in 2025Nigeria: 63.8% in 2025
- Median ageMalawi: 17.6 years in 2023Nigeria: 17.8 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overMalawi: 2.6% in 2023Nigeria: 3% in 2023
- Net migration rateMalawi: -0.3 per 1,000 people in 2023Nigeria: -0.3 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingMalawi: 1.15% of GDP in 2025Nigeria: 0.91% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsMalawi: $128M in 2025Nigeria: $1.76B in 2025
- Military spending per personMalawi: $7 in 2025Nigeria: $9 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingMalawi: 3.8% of government spending in 2025Nigeria: 5.9% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelMalawi: 15,000 people in 2020Nigeria: 223,000 people in 2020
- National powerMalawi: 0.07% of world capability in 2022Nigeria: 1.16% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersMalawi: 0.2% of the labour force in 2020Nigeria: 0.23% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsMalawi: 2 million TIV in 2024Nigeria: 21 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsMalawi: 1 million TIV in 2000Nigeria: 4 million TIV in 2022
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