Malawi vs Nicaragua
Nicaragua and Malawi are almost exactly the same size.
MalawiNicaraguaMalawi moved onto Nicaragua · Equal-area projection
0.98×
Malawi is 0.98× the area of Nicaragua. Put the other way, Nicaragua is 1.02× the size of Malawi.
 Malawi |  Nicaragua | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaAbout the same area | 118,484 km²#98 of 194 | 120,340 km²#97 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 3 | 2 |
| People | ||
| PopulationMalawi: 3.17× the population | 22,216,120#61 of 194 · 2025 | 7,007,502#108 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityMalawi: 3.22× the density | 188 / km²#52 of 194 | 58 / km²#127 of 194 |
| Urban populationNicaragua: 3.37× the urban share | 18%#189 of 192 · 2025 | 59%#108 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateMalawi: 1.62× the births per woman | 3.59 per woman#40 of 192 · 2024 | 2.21 per woman#86 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthMalawi: 1.25 points higher | +2.56%#22 of 192 · 2025 | +1.31%#76 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateMalawi: 1.63× the birth rate | 31.1 per 1,000#26 of 192 · 2024 | 19.1 per 1,000#77 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateMalawi: 1.15× the death rate | 5.3 per 1,000#162 of 192 · 2024 | 4.6 per 1,000#179 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Malawi: 11.8 points higher | 40.1%#25 of 192 · 2025 | 28.3%#78 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Nicaragua: 3.1 points higher | 2.6%#180 of 192 · 2025 | 5.7%#115 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationMalawi: 0.9 per 1,000 higher | −0.3 per 1,000#89 of 192 · 2025 | −1.2 per 1,000#122 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadNicaragua: 252× the refugees for its size | 0.02 per 1,000#145 of 190 · 2025 | 5.04 per 1,000#27 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyNicaragua: 7.5 years longer | 67.6 years#146 of 192 · 2024 | 75.1 years#85 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityMalawi: 4.04× the infant mortality | 38.0 per 1,000 births#29 of 191 · 2024 | 9.4 per 1,000 births#113 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsNicaragua: 13.6× the doctors per person | 0.05 per 1,000#176 of 178 · 2022 | 0.68 per 1,000#120 of 178 · 2018 |
| University enrolmentNicaragua: 11.3× the university enrolment | 2.7%#144 of 145 · 2022 | 30.4%#102 of 145 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexNicaragua: 0.189 higher | 0.517#169 of 190 · 2023 | 0.706#122 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaNicaragua: 4.75× the income per person | $600#180 of 185 · 2025 | $2,850#136 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPNicaragua: 1.49× the economy | $14.92B2025 | $22.24B2025 |
| Income group | Low income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Nicaragua: 4.89× the output per person | $1,899#180 of 184 · 2025 | $9,284#130 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthNicaragua: 3.0 points higher | +1.9%#134 of 187 · 2025 | +4.9%#50 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationMalawi: 26.3 points higher | +28.4%#9 of 176 · 2025 | +2.1%#116 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentAbout the same unemployment | 5.1%#88 of 178 · 2025 | 5.0%#93 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | 75.4%#4 of 149 · 2019 | — |
| Income inequality (Gini) | 38.5#47 of 149 · 2019 | — |
| Jobs in agricultureMalawi: 34.5 points higher | 65.0% of jobs#8 of 178 · 2025 | 30.5% of jobs#59 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryNicaragua: 9.6 points higher | 7.3% of jobs#170 of 178 · 2025 | 16.9% of jobs#115 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesNicaragua: 24.9 points higher | 27.7% of jobs#169 of 178 · 2025 | 52.6% of jobs#107 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentNicaragua: 3.2 points higher | 3.6% of GDP#55 of 184 · 2025 | 6.8% of GDP#26 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsNicaragua: 31.0 points higher | 10.6% of GDP#160 of 168 · 2025 | 41.6% of GDP#65 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingMalawi: 2.05× the military spending | 1.1% of GDP#105 of 155 · 2025 | 0.6% of GDP#139 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersNicaragua: 3.23× the share online | 19%#174 of 184 · 2024 | 61%#133 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsNicaragua: 1.54× the mobile subscriptions | 69 per 100#165 of 191 · 2024 | 106 per 100#122 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaNicaragua: 1.17× the forest share | 22% of land#116 of 192 · 2024 | 26% of land#107 of 192 · 2023 |
| CO₂ per personNicaragua: 3.77× the CO₂ per person | 0.22 t a year#167 of 185 · 2024 | 0.83 t a year#134 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyMalawi: 12.5 points higher | 62.9%#33 of 190 · 2022 | 50.4%#47 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityNicaragua: 73.1 points higher | 15.6%#190 of 192 · 2024 | 88.7%#142 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Nicaragua: 1.22× the air pollution | 16.7 µg/m³#102 of 191 · 2023 | 20.4 µg/m³#77 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landMalawi: 1.9 points higher | 23.1% of land#57 of 191 · 2025 | 21.2% of land#77 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landMalawi: 29.9 points higher | 42.4% of land#12 of 190 · 2024 | 12.5% of land#82 of 190 · 2022 |
| Water stressMalawi: 7.95× the water stress | 17.5%#71 of 176 · 2022 | 2.2%#143 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationNicaragua: 1.93× the rain and snow | 1,181 mm#76 of 180 · 2022 | 2,280 mm#22 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityNicaragua: 0.15 higher | −0.16#115 of 193 · 2025 | −0.01#105 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionMalawi: 0.72 higher | −0.66#129 of 193 · 2025 | −1.38#178 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | — | 11.3 per 100,000#26 of 146 · 2021 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Presidential republic |
| Capital | Lilongwe | Managua |
| Currency | Malawian kwacha (MWK) | Nicaraguan córdoba (NIO) |
| Official languages | English, Chewa, Tumbuka | Spanish |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+2 | UTC−6 |
| Calling code | +265 | +505 |
| Region | Eastern Africa, Africa | Central America, North America |
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. Malawi sits at about 13° S and is stretched to 1.06× its true area; Nicaragua at 13° N is stretched to 1.05×. 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 Malawi bigger than Nicaragua?
- No. Malawi and Nicaragua are almost exactly the same size. Malawi covers 118,484 km² and Nicaragua covers 120,340 km².
- How many times does Malawi fit into Nicaragua?
- About 1.0 times: Nicaragua has 1.02× the area of Malawi.
- Why do Malawi and Nicaragua look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Malawi is drawn about 1.06× its true area there and Nicaragua about 1.05×. 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, Malawi or Nicaragua?
- Malawi: 22,216,120 people against 7,007,502. Density: Malawi 188 per km², Nicaragua 58 per km².
- Which is richer, Malawi or Nicaragua?
- By gross national income per person, Nicaragua: $2,850 against $600 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 4.75× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Malawi or Nicaragua?
- In Nicaragua: life expectancy at birth is 75.1 years, against 67.6 — 7.5 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Malawi and Nicaragua have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: presidential republic (CIA World Factbook).