MWK
…
USD
…
Land Area
United States of America
9,833,517 km²
Largest
Malawi
118,484 km²
1.2% of largest
United States of America is 82.99× larger than Malawi
Population
United States of America
LARGEST
341.78M
PEOPLE
Malawi
6.5% OF LARGEST
22.22M
PEOPLE
United States of America has 15.38× the population of Malawi
GDP
United States of America
LARGEST
$30.77T
Malawi
0.0% OF LARGEST
$14.92B
Armed Forces
Active Personnel
United States of America
LARGEST
1.35M
TROOPS
Malawi
0.8% OF LARGEST
10.7K
TROOPS
United States of America has 125.92× the active personnel of Malawi
Air Force
United States of America
LARGEST
13.3K
AIRCRAFT
Malawi
0.1% OF LARGEST
7
AIRCRAFT
United States of America has 1900.00× the aircraft of Malawi
Naval Assets
United States of America
Malawi
Wealth
Gold Reserves
United States of America
LARGEST
8,133.5
Metric Tonnes
Malawi
0.0% OF LARGEST
0.4
Metric Tonnes
Foreign-Exchange Reserves
United States of America
LARGEST
$228B
Reserves · excl. gold
Malawi
0.3% OF LARGEST
$0B
Reserves · excl. gold
Billionaires
United States of America
MOST
813
billionaires
Malawi
—
Oil
Proven Reserves
United States of America
LARGEST
69
Billion barrels
Production & Consumption
United States of America
NET EXPORTER
Production
20.0M b/d
Consumption
19.0M b/d
+1.0M b/d net
Trade (Import/Export)
Malawi
$1.5B
Exports
$1.5B
Imports
$4.2B
Trade Balance
$-2.7B
Trade Deficit
United States of America
$3,193.5B
Exports
$3,193.5B
Imports
$4,103.1B
Trade Balance
$-909.6B
Trade Deficit
Drinks per Person
Coffee
kg / person / yr
United States of America
consumption
Malawi
supply
Tea
kg / person / yr
United States of America
consumption
Malawi
supply
Beer
litres / person / yr
United States of America
consumption
Malawi
supply
Wine
litres / person / yr
United States of America
consumption
Malawi
supply
Alcohol
litres pure alcohol / person / yr
United States of America
consumption
Malawi
consumption
Smoking
% of adults 15+ who smoke
United States of America
Malawi
Per-capita — consumption where available, else FAOSTAT supply · alcohol = litres of pure alcohol; smoking = % of adults 15+ (WHO)
Olympic Medals
United States of America
1,233
Gold
1,013
Silver
889
Bronze
3,135
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 2,772
❄ Winter: 363
Malawi
No Olympic medal data
Religious Demographics
Religious Distribution
Religious Composition by Country
Malawi
United States of America
Age Demographics
Median Age
United States of America
38.8
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Malawi
17.8
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Age Distribution
Population breakdown by age bracket (percentage)
Demographic Insights
Age Gap
United States of America is 21.0 years older (median) than Malawi
Youth Population
Malawi has the highest youth population at 73% (under 30)
Elderly Population
United States of America has the highest elderly population at 21.6% (60+)
Global Statistics
| Metric |
Malawi
|
United States of America
|
|---|---|---|
| Travel & Mobility | ||
| Passport Power visa-free destinations | — |
186
|
| Tourist Arrivals per year | — |
66.5M
|
| Culture & Prestige | ||
| Nobel Laureates all-time |
0
|
411
|
| 3-Michelin-Star Restaurants current guide |
0
|
16
|
| UNESCO Heritage Sites inscribed sites |
3
|
26
|
Figures as of 2026. Sources: IMF, EIA/OPEC, Henley Passport Index, UNWTO, Forbes, Michelin Guide, Nobel Foundation, UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
Cost of Living
|
Metric
All indices use New York City as base (100)
Lower values indicate lower costs.
|
Malawi
|
United States of America
|
|---|---|---|
| Cost of Living Index |
|
|
| Rent Index |
|
|
| Groceries Index |
|
|
| Restaurant Price Index |
|
|
| Local Purchasing Power |
|
|
| Common Expenses Comparison | ||
| Meal at Inexpensive Restaurant (USD) | $3 | $20 |
| Three-Course Meal for 2 (USD) | $12 | $80 |
| Monthly Rent - City Center (USD) | $180 | $1,950 |
| Monthly Rent - Outside Center (USD) | $85 | $1,500 |
| Monthly Utilities (USD) | $35 | $175 |
| Internet (60 Mbps, USD) | $25 | $68 |
| Monthly Public Transport Pass (USD) | $15 | $85 |
Health
Healthcare spending, capacity and outcomes. Sources: World Bank / WHO — the year tag shows each figure’s vintage; “—” means the country doesn’t report that metric.
Health spending / person
USA
Malawi
Physicians per 1,000
USA
Malawi
Hospital beds per 1,000
USA
Malawi
Diabetes prevalence
USA
Malawi
Obesity prevalence
USA
Malawi
Suicide rate per 100k
USA
Malawi
Want the long view?
GDP, population, reserves & trade for Malawi vs USA — charted over the decades.
Basic Information
| Metric | Malawi | United States of America |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 22216120 | 341784857 |
| Area (sq km) | 118484 | 9833517 |
| Capital | Lilongwe | Washington, D.C. |
| Official Language | English, Chichewa | English (de facto) |
| Currency | Malawian Kwacha (MWK) | United States Dollar (USD) |
| Government Type | Presidential republic | Federal presidential constitutional republic |
Military Strength
| Metric | Malawi | United States of America |
|---|---|---|
| Active Personnel | 10,700 | 1,347,300 |
| Reserve Personnel | 1,500 | 799,500 |
| Total Military Personnel | 12,200 | 2,146,800 |
| Defense Budget (USD) | $45,000,000 | $816,000,000,000 |
| Tanks | 0 | 6,612 |
| Armored Vehicles | 20 | 45,193 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 0 | 1,498 |
| Towed Artillery | 20 | 1,339 |
| Rocket Projectors | 6 | 1,366 |
Economy
| Metric | Malawi | United States of America |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (USD) | $14,918,276,698 | $30,769,700,000,000 |
| GDP Per Capita (USD) | $672 | $90,027 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 5.1% | 4.2% |
| GINI Index (Income Inequality) | 38.5 | 41.8 |
| Currency | Malawian Kwacha (MWK) | United States Dollar (USD) |
| Loading current exchange rates… | ||
Interesting Comparisons & Trivia
Did You Know?
United States of America is 83.0 times larger in area than Malawi.
That's a massive difference!
United States of America has 15.4 times more people than Malawi.
United States of America has the highest GDP per capita at $90,027 among the selected countries.
United States of America has the largest economy with a GDP of
$30.77 trillion.
United States of America has the largest active military personnel with 1,347,300 troops.
United States of America has the largest air force with 13,300 aircraft.
United States of America has the largest navy with 472 vessels.
USA Fact: The United States has more airports than any other country in the world, with over 13,000 airports.
Malawi vs United States of America: Key Comparisons
Economy: United States of America's GDP of $30.8T is 2062.6x larger than Malawi's $15B — both among the world's largest economies.
Population: United States of America's population of 342M is 15.4x larger than Malawi's 22M.
Area: United States of America covers 9,833,517 km², making it 83.0x larger than Malawi.
Military: United States of America fields 1.3Million active troops vs Malawi's 11Thousand.
Trade: Malawi has a trade deficit of $3B while United States of America has a trade deficit of $910B.
Life Expectancy: United States of America leads with a life expectancy of 79 years vs Malawi's 68.
Data compiled from World Bank, IMF, Global Firepower, SIPRI, Numbeo, and Pew Research.
Last updated August 2026.
Sources & methodology