Benin vs Malawi
Malawi is 3% larger than Benin.
BeninMalawiBenin moved onto Malawi · Equal-area projection
0.97×
Benin is 0.97× the area of Malawi. Put the other way, Malawi is 1.03× the size of Benin.
 Benin |  Malawi | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaMalawi: 1.03× the area | 114,763 km²#100 of 194 | 118,484 km²#98 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 4 | 3 |
| People | ||
| PopulationMalawi: 1.5× the population | 14,814,460#76 of 194 · 2025 | 22,216,120#61 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityMalawi: 1.45× the density | 129 / km²#70 of 194 | 188 / km²#52 of 194 |
| Urban populationBenin: 3.03× the urban share | 53%#126 of 192 · 2025 | 18%#189 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateBenin: 1.25× the births per woman | 4.48 per woman#14 of 192 · 2024 | 3.59 per woman#40 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthMalawi: 0.16 points higher | +2.40%#26 of 192 · 2025 | +2.56%#22 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateBenin: 1.07× the birth rate | 33.4 per 1,000#14 of 192 · 2024 | 31.1 per 1,000#26 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateBenin: 1.64× the death rate | 8.7 per 1,000#58 of 192 · 2024 | 5.3 per 1,000#162 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Benin: 1.2 points higher | 41.3%#14 of 192 · 2025 | 40.1%#25 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Benin: 0.6 points higher | 3.2%#161 of 192 · 2025 | 2.6%#180 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationMalawi: 0.2 per 1,000 higher | −0.5 per 1,000#100 of 192 · 2025 | −0.3 per 1,000#89 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadBenin: 4.5× the refugees for its size | 0.09 per 1,000#119 of 190 · 2025 | 0.02 per 1,000#145 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyMalawi: 6.6 years longer | 61.0 years#184 of 192 · 2024 | 67.6 years#146 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityBenin: 1.19× the infant mortality | 45.2 per 1,000 births#17 of 191 · 2024 | 38.0 per 1,000 births#29 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsBenin: 4.4× the doctors per person | 0.22 per 1,000#146 of 178 · 2023 | 0.05 per 1,000#176 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentBenin: 3.78× the university enrolment | 10.2%#132 of 145 · 2022 | 2.7%#144 of 145 · 2022 |
| Human Development IndexMalawi: 0.002 higher | 0.515#170 of 190 · 2023 | 0.517#169 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaBenin: 2.67× the income per person | $1,600#155 of 185 · 2025 | $600#180 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPBenin: 1.65× the economy | $24.57B2025 | $14.92B2025 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | Low income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Benin: 2.54× the output per person | $4,817#153 of 184 · 2025 | $1,899#180 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthBenin: 6.2 points higher | +8.1%#9 of 187 · 2025 | +1.9%#134 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationMalawi: 27.3 points higher | +1.1%#138 of 176 · 2025 | +28.4%#9 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentMalawi: 3.19× the unemployment | 1.6%#165 of 178 · 2025 | 5.1%#88 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyMalawi: 2.77× the share in extreme poverty | 27.2%#28 of 149 · 2021 | 75.4%#4 of 149 · 2019 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Malawi: 4.1 higher | 34.4#74 of 149 · 2021 | 38.5#47 of 149 · 2019 |
| Jobs in agricultureMalawi: 24.8 points higher | 40.2% of jobs#40 of 178 · 2025 | 65.0% of jobs#8 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryBenin: 11.0 points higher | 18.3% of jobs#100 of 178 · 2025 | 7.3% of jobs#170 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesBenin: 13.7 points higher | 41.4% of jobs#144 of 178 · 2025 | 27.7% of jobs#169 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentMalawi: 1.6 points higher | 2.0% of GDP#92 of 184 · 2025 | 3.6% of GDP#55 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsBenin: 6.5 points higher | 17.1% of GDP#141 of 168 · 2025 | 10.6% of GDP#160 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingMalawi: 1.29× the military spending | 0.9% of GDP#121 of 155 · 2025 | 1.1% of GDP#105 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersBenin: 1.79× the share online | 34%#160 of 184 · 2024 | 19%#174 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsBenin: 1.83× the mobile subscriptions | 126 per 100#64 of 191 · 2024 | 69 per 100#165 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaBenin: 1.28× the forest share | 28% of land#104 of 192 · 2024 | 22% of land#116 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personBenin: 2.23× the CO₂ per person | 0.49 t a year#152 of 185 · 2024 | 0.22 t a year#167 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyMalawi: 8.4 points higher | 54.5%#44 of 190 · 2021 | 62.9%#33 of 190 · 2022 |
| Access to electricityBenin: 43.4 points higher | 59.0%#166 of 192 · 2024 | 15.6%#190 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Benin: 2.38× the air pollution | 39.7 µg/m³#24 of 191 · 2023 | 16.7 µg/m³#102 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landBenin: 13.0 points higher | 36.1% of land#22 of 191 · 2025 | 23.1% of land#57 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landMalawi: 10.1 points higher | 32.3% of land#24 of 190 · 2024 | 42.4% of land#12 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressMalawi: 17.5× the water stress | 1.0%#160 of 176 · 2022 | 17.5%#71 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationMalawi: 1.14× the rain and snow | 1,039 mm#89 of 180 · 2022 | 1,181 mm#76 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityMalawi: 0.24 higher | −0.40#132 of 193 · 2025 | −0.16#115 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionBenin: 0.45 higher | −0.21#93 of 193 · 2025 | −0.66#129 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | 1.1 per 100,000#99 of 146 · 2017 | — |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Presidential republic |
| Capital | Porto-Novo | Lilongwe |
| Currency | West African CFA franc (XOF) | Malawian kwacha (MWK) |
| Official languages | French | English, Chewa, Tumbuka |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +229 | +265 |
| Region | Western Africa, Africa | Eastern Africa, Africa |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Benin sits at about 10° N and is stretched to 1.03× its true area; Malawi at 13° S is stretched to 1.06×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Benin bigger than Malawi?
- No. Benin is 3% smaller than Malawi. Benin covers 114,763 km² and Malawi covers 118,484 km².
- How many times does Benin fit into Malawi?
- About 1.0 times: Malawi has 1.03× the area of Benin.
- Why do Benin and Malawi look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Benin is drawn about 1.03× its true area there and Malawi about 1.06×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Benin or Malawi?
- Malawi: 22,216,120 people against 14,814,460. Density: Benin 129 per km², Malawi 188 per km².
- Which is richer, Benin or Malawi?
- By gross national income per person, Benin: $1,600 against $600 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 2.67× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Benin or Malawi?
- In Malawi: life expectancy at birth is 67.6 years, against 61.0 — 6.6 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Benin and Malawi have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: presidential republic (CIA World Factbook).