Malawi vs Russia
Russia is 144 times larger than Malawi. Malawi would fit into Russia about 144 times.
MalawiRussiaMalawi moved onto Russia · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
0.01×
Malawi is 0.01× the area of Russia. Put the other way, Russia is 144× the size of Malawi.
 Malawi |  Russia | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaRussia: 144× the area | 118,484 km²#98 of 194 | 17,075,400 km²#1 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 3 | 14 |
| People | ||
| PopulationRussia: 6.46× the population | 22,216,120#61 of 194 · 2025 | 143,513,328#9 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityMalawi: 22.3× the density | 188 / km²#52 of 194 | 8.4 / km²#183 of 194 |
| Urban populationRussia: 4.28× the urban share | 18%#189 of 192 · 2025 | 75%#57 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateMalawi: 2.53× the births per woman | 3.59 per woman#40 of 192 · 2024 | 1.42 per woman#154 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthMalawi: 2.67 points higher | +2.56%#22 of 192 · 2025 | −0.11%#163 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateMalawi: 3.7× the birth rate | 31.1 per 1,000#26 of 192 · 2024 | 8.4 per 1,000#163 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateRussia: 2.34× the death rate | 5.3 per 1,000#162 of 192 · 2024 | 12.4 per 1,000#15 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Malawi: 23.1 points higher | 40.1%#25 of 192 · 2025 | 17.0%#142 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Russia: 15.2 points higher | 2.6%#180 of 192 · 2025 | 17.8%#42 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationMalawi: 1.5 per 1,000 higher | −0.3 per 1,000#89 of 192 · 2025 | −1.8 per 1,000#137 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadRussia: 34.5× the refugees for its size | 0.02 per 1,000#145 of 190 · 2025 | 0.69 per 1,000#68 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyRussia: 5.8 years longer | 67.6 years#146 of 192 · 2024 | 73.4 years#101 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityMalawi: 9.27× the infant mortality | 38.0 per 1,000 births#29 of 191 · 2024 | 4.1 per 1,000 births#150 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsRussia: 102× the doctors per person | 0.05 per 1,000#176 of 178 · 2022 | 5.11 per 1,000#8 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentRussia: 22.4× the university enrolment | 2.7%#144 of 145 · 2022 | 60.4%#56 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexRussia: 0.315 higher | 0.517#169 of 190 · 2023 | 0.832#63 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaRussia: 26.6× the income per person | $600#180 of 185 · 2025 | $15,960#63 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPRussia: 172× the economy | $14.92B2025 | $2.56T2025 |
| Income group | Low income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Russia: 26.1× the output per person | $1,899#180 of 184 · 2025 | $49,568#45 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthMalawi: 0.9 points higher | +1.9%#134 of 187 · 2025 | +1.0%#156 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationMalawi: 19.7 points higher | +28.4%#9 of 176 · 2025 | +8.7%#25 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentMalawi: 2.43× the unemployment | 5.1%#88 of 178 · 2025 | 2.1%#161 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyMalawi: 754× the share in extreme poverty | 75.4%#4 of 149 · 2019 | 0.1%#126 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Malawi: 5.5 higher | 38.5#47 of 149 · 2019 | 33.0#94 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureMalawi: 59.9 points higher | 65.0% of jobs#8 of 178 · 2025 | 5.1% of jobs#130 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryRussia: 18.5 points higher | 7.3% of jobs#170 of 178 · 2025 | 25.8% of jobs#39 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesRussia: 41.4 points higher | 27.7% of jobs#169 of 178 · 2025 | 69.1% of jobs#56 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentMalawi: 3.2 points higher | 3.6% of GDP#55 of 184 · 2025 | 0.4% of GDP#150 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsRussia: 7.6 points higher | 10.6% of GDP#160 of 168 · 2025 | 18.2% of GDP#138 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingRussia: 6.52× the military spending | 1.1% of GDP#105 of 155 · 2025 | 7.5% of GDP#4 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersRussia: 4.97× the share online | 19%#174 of 184 · 2024 | 94%#28 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsRussia: 2.7× the mobile subscriptions | 69 per 100#165 of 191 · 2024 | 186 per 100#5 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaRussia: 2.31× the forest share | 22% of land#116 of 192 · 2024 | 51% of land#47 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personRussia: 63.5× the CO₂ per person | 0.22 t a year#167 of 185 · 2024 | 14.0 t a year#12 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyMalawi: 59.4 points higher | 62.9%#33 of 190 · 2022 | 3.5%#162 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityRussia: 84.4 points higher | 15.6%#190 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Malawi: 1.44× the air pollution | 16.7 µg/m³#102 of 191 · 2023 | 11.6 µg/m³#141 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landMalawi: 11.6 points higher | 23.1% of land#57 of 191 · 2025 | 11.5% of land#138 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landMalawi: 35.0 points higher | 42.4% of land#12 of 190 · 2024 | 7.4% of land#113 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressMalawi: 4.27× the water stress | 17.5%#71 of 176 · 2022 | 4.1%#129 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationMalawi: 2.57× the rain and snow | 1,181 mm#76 of 180 · 2022 | 460 mm#145 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityMalawi: 0.78 higher | −0.16#115 of 193 · 2025 | −0.94#165 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionMalawi: 0.32 higher | −0.66#129 of 193 · 2025 | −0.98#153 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | — | 6.8 per 100,000#38 of 146 · 2021 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Semi-presidential republicsemi-presidential federation |
| Member of | — | G20, BRICS |
| Capital | Lilongwe | Moscow |
| Currency | Malawian kwacha (MWK) | Russian ruble (RUB) |
| Official languages | English, Chewa, Tumbuka | Russian, Ukrainian, Azerbaijani, Tatar, Bashkir, Chechen, Chuvash, Ossetian, Crimean Tatar, Yakut, Avar, Udmurt, Tuvan, Erzya, Adyghe, Komi, Buryat, Lezgian, Karachay-Balkar, Ingush, Mari, Moksha, Kabardian, Abaza, Kalmyk, Khakas, Lak, Kumyk, Nogai, Rutulian, Tabasaran, Tat, Aghul, Tsakhur, Dargwa, Southern Altai |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+2 | UTC+3 · UTC+2 to UTC+12, 11 time zones |
| Calling code | +265 | +7 |
| Region | Eastern Africa, Africa | Eastern Europe, Europe |
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; Russia at 66° N is stretched to 6.06×. That difference is why Russia 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 Russia?
- No. Malawi is 144 times smaller than Russia. Malawi covers 118,484 km² and Russia covers 17,075,400 km².
- How many times does Malawi fit into Russia?
- About 144 times: Russia has 144× the area of Malawi.
- Why do Malawi and Russia 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 Russia about 6.06×. That is why Russia 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 Russia?
- Russia: 143,513,328 people against 22,216,120. Density: Malawi 188 per km², Russia 8.4 per km².
- Which is richer, Malawi or Russia?
- By gross national income per person, Russia: $15,960 against $600 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 26.6× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Malawi or Russia?
- In Russia: life expectancy at birth is 73.4 years, against 67.6 — 5.8 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Malawi and Russia have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Malawi: presidential republic; Russia: semi-presidential republic.