Malawi vs North Korea
North Korea and Malawi are almost exactly the same size.
MalawiNorth KoreaMalawi moved onto North Korea · Equal-area projection
0.98×
Malawi is 0.98× the area of North Korea. Put the other way, North Korea is 1.02× the size of Malawi.
 Malawi |  North Korea | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaAbout the same area | 118,484 km²#98 of 194 | 120,540 km²#96 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 3 | 3 |
| People | ||
| PopulationNorth Korea: 1.2× the population | 22,216,120#61 of 194 · 2025 | 26,571,036#56 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityNorth Korea: 1.18× the density | 188 / km²#52 of 194 | 220 / km²#45 of 194 |
| Urban populationNorth Korea: 3.65× the urban share | 18%#189 of 192 · 2025 | 64%#91 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateMalawi: 2.02× the births per woman | 3.59 per woman#40 of 192 · 2024 | 1.78 per woman#110 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthMalawi: 2.29 points higher | +2.56%#22 of 192 · 2025 | +0.27%#145 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateMalawi: 2.41× the birth rate | 31.1 per 1,000#26 of 192 · 2024 | 12.9 per 1,000#106 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateNorth Korea: 1.87× the death rate | 5.3 per 1,000#162 of 192 · 2024 | 9.9 per 1,000#37 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Malawi: 21.2 points higher | 40.1%#25 of 192 · 2025 | 18.9%#122 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65North Korea: 10.1 points higher | 2.6%#180 of 192 · 2025 | 12.7%#64 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationNorth Korea: 0.2 per 1,000 higher | −0.3 per 1,000#89 of 192 · 2025 | −0.1 per 1,000#78 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadMalawi: 2.0× the refugees for its size | 0.02 per 1,000#145 of 190 · 2025 | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyNorth Korea: 6.1 years longer | 67.6 years#146 of 192 · 2024 | 73.7 years#98 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityMalawi: 2.86× the infant mortality | 38.0 per 1,000 births#29 of 191 · 2024 | 13.3 per 1,000 births#92 of 191 · 2024 |
| Doctors | 0.05 per 1,000#176 of 178 · 2022 | — |
| University enrolment | 2.7%#144 of 145 · 2022 | — |
| Human Development Index | 0.517#169 of 190 · 2023 | — |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capita | $600#180 of 185 · 2025 | — |
| GDP | $14.92B2025 | — |
| Income group | Low income | Low income |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $1,899#180 of 184 · 2025 | — |
| GDP growth | +1.9%#134 of 187 · 2025 | — |
| Inflation | +28.4%#9 of 176 · 2025 | — |
| UnemploymentMalawi: 1.46× the unemployment | 5.1%#88 of 178 · 2025 | 3.5%#121 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | 75.4%#4 of 149 · 2019 | — |
| Income inequality (Gini) | 38.5#47 of 149 · 2019 | — |
| Jobs in agricultureMalawi: 10.9 points higher | 65.0% of jobs#8 of 178 · 2025 | 54.1% of jobs#20 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryNorth Korea: 15.1 points higher | 7.3% of jobs#170 of 178 · 2025 | 22.4% of jobs#62 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesMalawi: 4.2 points higher | 27.7% of jobs#169 of 178 · 2025 | 23.5% of jobs#172 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investment | 3.6% of GDP#55 of 184 · 2025 | — |
| Exports | 10.6% of GDP#160 of 168 · 2025 | — |
| Military spending | 1.1% of GDP#105 of 155 · 2025 | — |
| Internet users | 19%#174 of 184 · 2024 | — |
| Mobile subscriptionsMalawi: 2.88× the mobile subscriptions | 69 per 100#165 of 191 · 2024 | 24 per 100#190 of 191 · 2022 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaNorth Korea: 2.91× the forest share | 22% of land#116 of 192 · 2024 | 64% of land#20 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personNorth Korea: 11.4× the CO₂ per person | 0.22 t a year#167 of 185 · 2024 | 2.50 t a year#94 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyMalawi: 48.2 points higher | 62.9%#33 of 190 · 2022 | 14.7%#124 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityNorth Korea: 45.8 points higher | 15.6%#190 of 192 · 2024 | 61.4%#162 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)North Korea: 1.31× the air pollution | 16.7 µg/m³#102 of 191 · 2023 | 21.8 µg/m³#73 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landMalawi: 20.7 points higher | 23.1% of land#57 of 191 · 2025 | 2.4% of land#178 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landMalawi: 23.3 points higher | 42.4% of land#12 of 190 · 2024 | 19.1% of land#56 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressNorth Korea: 1.58× the water stress | 17.5%#71 of 176 · 2022 | 27.7%#59 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationMalawi: 1.12× the rain and snow | 1,181 mm#76 of 180 · 2022 | 1,054 mm#88 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityNorth Korea: 0.24 higher | −0.16#115 of 193 · 2025 | +0.08#100 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionMalawi: 0.89 higher | −0.66#129 of 193 · 2025 | −1.55#186 of 193 · 2025 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | One-party statedictatorship, single-party communist state |
| Capital | Lilongwe | Pyongyang |
| Currency | Malawian kwacha (MWK) | North Korean won (KPW) |
| Official languages | English, Chewa, Tumbuka | Korean, North Korean standard language |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+2 | UTC+9 |
| Calling code | +265 | +850 |
| Region | Eastern Africa, Africa | Eastern Asia, Asia |
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; North Korea at 40° N is stretched to 1.71×. That difference is why North Korea looks so much bigger than it is next to Malawi. 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 North Korea?
- No. Malawi and North Korea are almost exactly the same size. Malawi covers 118,484 km² and North Korea covers 120,540 km².
- How many times does Malawi fit into North Korea?
- About 1.0 times: North Korea has 1.02× the area of Malawi.
- Why do Malawi and North Korea 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 North Korea about 1.71×. That is why North Korea looks so much bigger than it really is next to Malawi. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Malawi or North Korea?
- North Korea: 26,571,036 people against 22,216,120. Density: Malawi 188 per km², North Korea 220 per km².
- Where do people live longer, Malawi or North Korea?
- In North Korea: life expectancy at birth is 73.7 years, against 67.6 — 6.1 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Malawi and North Korea have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Malawi: presidential republic; North Korea: one-party state.