Liberia vs Malawi
Malawi is 6% larger than Liberia.
LiberiaMalawiLiberia moved onto Malawi · Equal-area projection
0.94×
Liberia is 0.94× the area of Malawi. Put the other way, Malawi is 1.06× the size of Liberia.
 Liberia |  Malawi | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaMalawi: 1.06× the area | 111,369 km²#102 of 194 | 118,484 km²#98 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 3 | 3 |
| People | ||
| PopulationMalawi: 3.88× the population | 5,731,206#116 of 194 · 2025 | 22,216,120#61 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityMalawi: 3.64× the density | 51 / km²#133 of 194 | 188 / km²#52 of 194 |
| Urban populationLiberia: 3.19× the urban share | 56%#117 of 192 · 2025 | 18%#189 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateLiberia: 1.08× the births per woman | 3.86 per woman#29 of 192 · 2024 | 3.59 per woman#40 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthMalawi: 0.47 points higher | +2.09%#43 of 192 · 2025 | +2.56%#22 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateAbout the same birth rate | 30.6 per 1,000#27 of 192 · 2024 | 31.1 per 1,000#26 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateLiberia: 1.51× the death rate | 8.0 per 1,000#70 of 192 · 2024 | 5.3 per 1,000#162 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Malawi: 1.0 points higher | 39.1%#28 of 192 · 2025 | 40.1%#25 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Liberia: 0.7 points higher | 3.3%#158 of 192 · 2025 | 2.6%#180 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationMalawi: 1.4 per 1,000 higher | −1.7 per 1,000#132 of 192 · 2025 | −0.3 per 1,000#89 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadLiberia: 44.5× the refugees for its size | 0.89 per 1,000#63 of 190 · 2025 | 0.02 per 1,000#145 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyMalawi: 5.3 years longer | 62.3 years#177 of 192 · 2024 | 67.6 years#146 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityLiberia: 1.66× the infant mortality | 63.2 per 1,000 births#5 of 191 · 2024 | 38.0 per 1,000 births#29 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsLiberia: 3.6× the doctors per person | 0.18 per 1,000#153 of 178 · 2022 | 0.05 per 1,000#176 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolment | — | 2.7%#144 of 145 · 2022 |
| Human Development IndexMalawi: 0.007 higher | 0.510#174 of 190 · 2023 | 0.517#169 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaLiberia: 1.38× the income per person | $830#174 of 185 · 2025 | $600#180 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPMalawi: 2.84× the economy | $5.25B2025 | $14.92B2025 |
| Income group | Low income | Low income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Liberia: 1.04× the output per person | $1,981#177 of 184 · 2025 | $1,899#180 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthLiberia: 3.1 points higher | +5.0%#45 of 187 · 2025 | +1.9%#134 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationMalawi: 20.1 points higher | +8.3%#27 of 176 · 2025 | +28.4%#9 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentMalawi: 1.76× the unemployment | 2.9%#144 of 178 · 2025 | 5.1%#88 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyMalawi: 2.24× the share in extreme poverty | 33.6%#27 of 149 · 2016 | 75.4%#4 of 149 · 2019 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Malawi: 3.2 higher | 35.3#70 of 149 · 2016 | 38.5#47 of 149 · 2019 |
| Jobs in agricultureMalawi: 23.9 points higher | 41.1% of jobs#39 of 178 · 2025 | 65.0% of jobs#8 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryLiberia: 1.0 points higher | 8.3% of jobs#163 of 178 · 2025 | 7.3% of jobs#170 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesLiberia: 22.8 points higher | 50.5% of jobs#115 of 178 · 2025 | 27.7% of jobs#169 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentLiberia: 5.9 points higher | 9.5% of GDP#20 of 184 · 2025 | 3.6% of GDP#55 of 184 · 2025 |
| Exports | — | 10.6% of GDP#160 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingMalawi: 1.35× the military spending | 0.8% of GDP#125 of 155 · 2025 | 1.1% of GDP#105 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersLiberia: 1.69× the share online | 32%#163 of 184 · 2024 | 19%#174 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsMalawi: 2.16× the mobile subscriptions | 32 per 100#189 of 191 · 2022 | 69 per 100#165 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaLiberia: 3.0× the forest share | 66% of land#18 of 192 · 2024 | 22% of land#116 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personMalawi: 1.47× the CO₂ per person | 0.15 t a year#174 of 185 · 2024 | 0.22 t a year#167 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyLiberia: 29.9 points higher | 92.8%#3 of 190 · 2022 | 62.9%#33 of 190 · 2022 |
| Access to electricityLiberia: 19.3 points higher | 34.9%#184 of 192 · 2024 | 15.6%#190 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Liberia: 1.07× the air pollution | 17.9 µg/m³#98 of 191 · 2023 | 16.7 µg/m³#102 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landMalawi: 19.1 points higher | 4.0% of land#171 of 191 · 2025 | 23.1% of land#57 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landMalawi: 37.2 points higher | 5.2% of land#128 of 190 · 2024 | 42.4% of land#12 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressMalawi: 58.3× the water stress | 0.3%#168 of 176 · 2022 | 17.5%#71 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationLiberia: 2.02× the rain and snow | 2,391 mm#15 of 180 · 2022 | 1,181 mm#76 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityLiberia: 0.02 higher | −0.14#113 of 193 · 2025 | −0.16#115 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionMalawi: 0.30 higher | −0.96#152 of 193 · 2025 | −0.66#129 of 193 · 2025 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Presidential republic |
| Capital | Monrovia | Lilongwe |
| Currency | Liberian dollar (LRD) | Malawian kwacha (MWK) |
| Official languages | English | English, Chewa, Tumbuka |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC | UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +231 | +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. Liberia sits at about 6° N and is stretched to 1.01× 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 Liberia bigger than Malawi?
- No. Liberia is 6% smaller than Malawi. Liberia covers 111,369 km² and Malawi covers 118,484 km².
- How many times does Liberia fit into Malawi?
- About 1.1 times: Malawi has 1.06× the area of Liberia.
- Why do Liberia and Malawi look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Liberia is drawn about 1.01× 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, Liberia or Malawi?
- Malawi: 22,216,120 people against 5,731,206. Density: Liberia 51 per km², Malawi 188 per km².
- Which is richer, Liberia or Malawi?
- By gross national income per person, Liberia: $830 against $600 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.38× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Liberia or Malawi?
- In Malawi: life expectancy at birth is 67.6 years, against 62.3 — 5.3 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Liberia and Malawi have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: presidential republic (CIA World Factbook).