Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Malaysia instead of American Samoa, you would:

Health

live 3.8 years longer

In American Samoa, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 69.3% less likely to be obese

In American Samoa, 75.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 23.3% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Economy

make 27.2% less money

American Samoa has a GDP per capita of $18,017 as of 2022, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $13,125 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

be 30.4% less likely to die during infancy

In American Samoa, approximately 10.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Malaysia, on the other hand, 7.0 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

have 17.5% fewer children

In American Samoa, there are approximately 15.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malaysia, there are 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 69.5% more likely to have access to electricity

In American Samoa, approximately 59% of people have electricity access (60% in urban areas, and 45% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Malaysia, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 2.4 times more likely to have internet access

In American Samoa, approximately 40.3% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Malaysia, about 98.0% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 40.3 times more coastline

American Samoa has a total of 116 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.

View global rankings →

Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), The World Factbook (2020–2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Compare further: American Samoa vs. Malaysia

Size Comparison · See true size
American Samoa is about 1,473 times smaller than Malaysia.
→
Moving from American Samoa to Malaysia · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
→

Malaysia: At a glance

Malaysia is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 328,657 sq km. During the late 18th and 19th centuries, Great Britain established colonies and protectorates in the area of current Malaysia; these were occupied by Japan from 1942 to 1945. In 1948, the British-ruled territories on the Malay Peninsula except Singapore formed the Federation of Malaya, which became independent in 1957. Malaysia was formed in 1963 when the former British colonies of Singapore, as well as Sabah and Sarawak on the northern coast of Borneo, joined the Federation. The first several years of the country's independence were marred by a communist insurgency, Indonesian confrontation with Malaysia, Philippine claims to Sabah, and Singapore's withdrawal in 1965. During the 22-year term of Prime Minister MAHATHIR bin Mohamad (1981-2003), Malaysia was successful in diversifying its economy from dependence on exports of raw materials to the development of manufacturing, services, and tourism. Prime Minister Mohamed NAJIB bin Abdul Razak (in office since April 2009) has continued these pro-business policies and has introduced some civil reforms.
Read more

How big is Malaysia compared to American Samoa? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Malaysia or American Samoa. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.