Malawi vs South Africa: Inequality in life expectancy
Malawi
0.1981
in 2023
South Africa
0.1983
in 2023
Malawi rank
46th
South Africa rank
45th
Inequality in life expectancy over time
- Malawi
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 0.1983 against 0.1981 in Malawi, a difference of 0.0002.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 14 shared years of data; in 2010 it was Malawi ahead.
Malawi ranks 46th and South Africa ranks 45th of 195 countries.
Malawi has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Malawi | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 0.265 | 0.21 | 0.055 | Malawi |
| 2020s | 0.2059 | 0.1924 | 0.0135 | Malawi |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher inequality in life expectancy, Malawi or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 0.1983 against 0.1981 in Malawi as of 2023.
- What is the difference in inequality in life expectancy between Malawi and South Africa?
- 0.0002, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Malawi and South Africa?
- 14 years are reported by both, from 2010 to 2023.
- How do Malawi and South Africa rank globally for inequality in life expectancy?
- Malawi ranks 46th and South Africa ranks 45th of 195 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) β with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Inequality in life expectancy. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
The Atkinson index measures inequality on a scale from 0 to 1. Higher values indicate higher inequality. Inequality is measured here in terms of the number of years a newborn would live if age-specific mortality rates in the current year were to stay the same throughout its life.