Malawi vs United States
United States is 82.9 times larger than Malawi. Malawi would fit into United States about 83 times.
MalawiUnited StatesMalawi moved onto United States · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
0.01×
Malawi is 0.01× the area of United States. Put the other way, United States is 82.9× the size of Malawi.
 Malawi |  United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaUnited States: 82.9× the area | 118,484 km²#98 of 194 | 9,826,675 km²#3 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 3 | 2 |
| People | ||
| PopulationUnited States: 15.4× the population | 22,216,120#61 of 194 · 2025 | 341,784,857#3 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityMalawi: 5.39× the density | 188 / km²#52 of 194 | 35 / km²#145 of 194 |
| Urban populationUnited States: 4.56× the urban share | 18%#189 of 192 · 2025 | 80%#41 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateMalawi: 2.2× the births per woman | 3.59 per woman#40 of 192 · 2024 | 1.63 per woman#121 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthMalawi: 2.04 points higher | +2.56%#22 of 192 · 2025 | +0.52%#125 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateMalawi: 2.93× the birth rate | 31.1 per 1,000#26 of 192 · 2024 | 10.6 per 1,000#132 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateUnited States: 1.7× the death rate | 5.3 per 1,000#162 of 192 · 2024 | 9.0 per 1,000#52 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Malawi: 23.0 points higher | 40.1%#25 of 192 · 2025 | 17.1%#140 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65United States: 15.8 points higher | 2.6%#180 of 192 · 2025 | 18.4%#38 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationUnited States: 3.9 per 1,000 higher | −0.3 per 1,000#89 of 192 · 2025 | +3.6 per 1,000#26 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 expectancyUnited States: 11.3 years longer | 67.6 years#146 of 192 · 2024 | 78.9 years#46 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityMalawi: 6.91× the infant mortality | 38.0 per 1,000 births#29 of 191 · 2024 | 5.5 per 1,000 births#139 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsUnited States: 73.6× the doctors per person | 0.05 per 1,000#176 of 178 · 2022 | 3.68 per 1,000#39 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentUnited States: 29.4× the university enrolment | 2.7%#144 of 145 · 2022 | 79.4%#27 of 145 · 2022 |
| Human Development IndexUnited States: 0.421 higher | 0.517#169 of 190 · 2023 | 0.938#16 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaUnited States: 148× the income per person | $600#180 of 185 · 2025 | $88,810#5 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPUnited States: 2,063× the economy | $14.92B2025 | $30.77T2025 |
| Income group | Low income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)United States: 47.4× the output per person | $1,899#180 of 184 · 2025 | $90,027#9 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthUnited States: 0.3 points higher | +1.9%#134 of 187 · 2025 | +2.2%#126 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationMalawi: 25.5 points higher | +28.4%#9 of 176 · 2025 | +2.9%#92 of 176 · 2024 |
| UnemploymentMalawi: 1.21× the unemployment | 5.1%#88 of 178 · 2025 | 4.2%#110 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyMalawi: 68.5× the share in extreme poverty | 75.4%#4 of 149 · 2019 | 1.1%#82 of 149 · 2024 |
| Income inequality (Gini)United States: 3.3 higher | 38.5#47 of 149 · 2019 | 41.8#30 of 149 · 2024 |
| Jobs in agricultureMalawi: 63.5 points higher | 65.0% of jobs#8 of 178 · 2025 | 1.5% of jobs#164 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryUnited States: 11.6 points higher | 7.3% of jobs#170 of 178 · 2025 | 18.9% of jobs#90 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesUnited States: 51.9 points higher | 27.7% of jobs#169 of 178 · 2025 | 79.6% of jobs#16 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentMalawi: 2.6 points higher | 3.6% of GDP#55 of 184 · 2025 | 1.0% of GDP#126 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsUnited States: 0.4 points higher | 10.6% of GDP#160 of 168 · 2025 | 11.0% of GDP#159 of 168 · 2024 |
| Military spendingUnited States: 2.71× the military spending | 1.1% of GDP#105 of 155 · 2025 | 3.1% of GDP#27 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersUnited States: 4.98× the share online | 19%#174 of 184 · 2024 | 95%#27 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsUnited States: 1.64× the mobile subscriptions | 69 per 100#165 of 191 · 2024 | 113 per 100#102 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaUnited States: 1.54× the forest share | 22% of land#116 of 192 · 2024 | 34% of land#92 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personUnited States: 61.9× the CO₂ per person | 0.22 t a year#167 of 185 · 2024 | 13.6 t a year#13 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyMalawi: 52.0 points higher | 62.9%#33 of 190 · 2022 | 10.9%#139 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityUnited States: 84.4 points higher | 15.6%#190 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Malawi: 2.39× the air pollution | 16.7 µg/m³#102 of 191 · 2023 | 7.0 µg/m³#173 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landMalawi: 10.2 points higher | 23.1% of land#57 of 191 · 2025 | 12.9% of land#131 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landMalawi: 25.8 points higher | 42.4% of land#12 of 190 · 2024 | 16.6% of land#64 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressUnited States: 1.61× the water stress | 17.5%#71 of 176 · 2022 | 28.2%#57 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationMalawi: 1.65× the rain and snow | 1,181 mm#76 of 180 · 2022 | 715 mm#111 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityMalawi: 0.14 higher | −0.16#115 of 193 · 2025 | −0.30#122 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionUnited States: 1.53 higher | −0.66#129 of 193 · 2025 | +0.87#39 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | — | 5.8 per 100,000#46 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Presidential republicconstitutional federal republic |
| Member of | — | NATO, OECD, G7, G20 |
| Capital | Lilongwe | Washington D.C. |
| Currency | Malawian kwacha (MWK) | United States dollar (USD) |
| Official languages | English, Chewa, Tumbuka | English |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+2 | UTC−5, summer time UTC−4 · UTC−10 to UTC−5, 6 time zones |
| Calling code | +265 | +1 |
| Region | Eastern Africa, Africa | Northern 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; United States at 45° N is stretched to 1.98×. That difference is why United States 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 United States?
- No. Malawi is 82.9 times smaller than United States. Malawi covers 118,484 km² and United States covers 9,826,675 km².
- How many times does Malawi fit into United States?
- About 83 times: United States has 82.9× the area of Malawi.
- Why do Malawi and United States 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 United States about 1.98×. That is why United States 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 United States?
- United States: 341,784,857 people against 22,216,120. Density: Malawi 188 per km², United States 35 per km².
- Which is richer, Malawi or United States?
- By gross national income per person, United States: $88,810 against $600 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 148× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Malawi or United States?
- In United States: life expectancy at birth is 78.9 years, against 67.6 — 11.3 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Malawi and United States have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: presidential republic (CIA World Factbook).