Malawi vs Tanzania
Tanzania is 8.0 times larger than Malawi. Malawi would fit into Tanzania about 8.0 times.
MalawiTanzaniaMalawi moved onto Tanzania · Equal-area projection
0.13×
Malawi is 0.13× the area of Tanzania. Put the other way, Tanzania is 8.0× the size of Malawi.
 Malawi |  Tanzania | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaTanzania: 8.0× the area | 118,484 km²#98 of 194 | 947,303 km²#30 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 3 | 8 |
| People | ||
| PopulationTanzania: 3.18× the population | 22,216,120#61 of 194 · 2025 | 70,545,865#21 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityMalawi: 2.52× the density | 188 / km²#52 of 194 | 74 / km²#111 of 194 |
| Urban populationTanzania: 2.1× the urban share | 18%#189 of 192 · 2025 | 37%#156 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateTanzania: 1.26× the births per woman | 3.59 per woman#40 of 192 · 2024 | 4.54 per woman#12 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthTanzania: 0.30 points higher | +2.56%#22 of 192 · 2025 | +2.86%#16 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateTanzania: 1.12× the birth rate | 31.1 per 1,000#26 of 192 · 2024 | 34.8 per 1,000#10 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateTanzania: 1.08× the death rate | 5.3 per 1,000#162 of 192 · 2024 | 5.7 per 1,000#148 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Tanzania: 2.2 points higher | 40.1%#25 of 192 · 2025 | 42.3%#13 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Tanzania: 0.4 points higher | 2.6%#180 of 192 · 2025 | 3.0%#171 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationTanzania: 0.1 per 1,000 higher | −0.3 per 1,000#89 of 192 · 2025 | −0.2 per 1,000#84 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadAbout as many refugees for its size | 0.02 per 1,000#145 of 190 · 2025 | 0.02 per 1,000#145 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyMalawi: 0.4 years longer | 67.6 years#146 of 192 · 2024 | 67.2 years#151 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityMalawi: 1.32× the infant mortality | 38.0 per 1,000 births#29 of 191 · 2024 | 28.7 per 1,000 births#50 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsTanzania: 2.6× the doctors per person | 0.05 per 1,000#176 of 178 · 2022 | 0.13 per 1,000#164 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentTanzania: 1.48× the university enrolment | 2.7%#144 of 145 · 2022 | 4.0%#143 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexTanzania: 0.038 higher | 0.517#169 of 190 · 2023 | 0.555#162 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaTanzania: 2.12× the income per person | $600#180 of 185 · 2025 | $1,270#163 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPTanzania: 6.04× the economy | $14.92B2025 | $90.14B2025 |
| Income group | Low income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Tanzania: 2.35× the output per person | $1,899#180 of 184 · 2025 | $4,471#157 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthTanzania: 4.0 points higher | +1.9%#134 of 187 · 2025 | +5.9%#33 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationMalawi: 25.1 points higher | +28.4%#9 of 176 · 2025 | +3.3%#81 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentMalawi: 3.19× the unemployment | 5.1%#88 of 178 · 2025 | 1.6%#165 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyMalawi: 1.47× the share in extreme poverty | 75.4%#4 of 149 · 2019 | 51.3%#11 of 149 · 2018 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Tanzania: 2.0 higher | 38.5#47 of 149 · 2019 | 40.5#35 of 149 · 2018 |
| Jobs in agricultureMalawi: 0.4 points higher | 65.0% of jobs#8 of 178 · 2025 | 64.6% of jobs#10 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryTanzania: 0.8 points higher | 7.3% of jobs#170 of 178 · 2025 | 8.1% of jobs#164 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesMalawi: 0.4 points higher | 27.7% of jobs#169 of 178 · 2025 | 27.3% of jobs#170 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentMalawi: 1.7 points higher | 3.6% of GDP#55 of 184 · 2025 | 1.9% of GDP#96 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsTanzania: 8.4 points higher | 10.6% of GDP#160 of 168 · 2025 | 19.0% of GDP#136 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingAbout the same military spending | 1.1% of GDP#105 of 155 · 2025 | 1.2% of GDP#104 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersTanzania: 1.64× the share online | 19%#174 of 184 · 2024 | 31%#165 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsTanzania: 1.84× the mobile subscriptions | 69 per 100#165 of 191 · 2024 | 127 per 100#59 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaTanzania: 2.25× the forest share | 22% of land#116 of 192 · 2024 | 50% of land#51 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personTanzania: 1.41× the CO₂ per person | 0.22 t a year#167 of 185 · 2024 | 0.31 t a year#159 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyTanzania: 15.4 points higher | 62.9%#33 of 190 · 2022 | 78.3%#20 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityTanzania: 36.8 points higher | 15.6%#190 of 192 · 2024 | 52.4%#176 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Tanzania: 1.21× the air pollution | 16.7 µg/m³#102 of 191 · 2023 | 20.2 µg/m³#80 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landTanzania: 16.8 points higher | 23.1% of land#57 of 191 · 2025 | 39.9% of land#9 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landMalawi: 26.9 points higher | 42.4% of land#12 of 190 · 2024 | 15.5% of land#73 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressMalawi: 1.35× the water stress | 17.5%#71 of 176 · 2022 | 13.0%#79 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationMalawi: 1.1× the rain and snow | 1,181 mm#76 of 180 · 2022 | 1,071 mm#87 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityMalawi: 0.32 higher | −0.16#115 of 193 · 2025 | −0.48#137 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionTanzania: 0.33 higher | −0.66#129 of 193 · 2025 | −0.33#105 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | — | 3.7 per 100,000#59 of 146 · 2020 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Presidential republic |
| Capital | Lilongwe | Dodoma |
| Currency | Malawian kwacha (MWK) | Tanzanian shilling (TZS) |
| Official languages | English, Chewa, Tumbuka | English, Swahili |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC+2 | UTC+3 |
| Calling code | +265 | +255 |
| Region | Eastern 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. Malawi sits at about 13° S and is stretched to 1.06× its true area; Tanzania at 6° S is stretched to 1.01×. 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 Tanzania?
- No. Malawi is 8.0 times smaller than Tanzania. Malawi covers 118,484 km² and Tanzania covers 947,303 km².
- How many times does Malawi fit into Tanzania?
- About 8.0 times: Tanzania has 8.0× the area of Malawi.
- Why do Malawi and Tanzania 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 Tanzania about 1.01×. 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 Tanzania?
- Tanzania: 70,545,865 people against 22,216,120. Density: Malawi 188 per km², Tanzania 74 per km².
- Which is richer, Malawi or Tanzania?
- By gross national income per person, Tanzania: $1,270 against $600 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 2.12× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Malawi or Tanzania?
- In Malawi: life expectancy at birth is 67.6 years, against 67.2 — 0.4 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Malawi and Tanzania have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: presidential republic (CIA World Factbook).