Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malaysia instead of Australia, you would:
Health
be 23.7% less likely to be obese
In Australia, 30.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 23.3% of people as of 2024.
be 56.8% less likely to die by suicide
Australia has a suicide rate of 13.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malaysia, it is 5.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 6.2 years less
In Australia, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.
see 81.3% less spent on your healthcare
Australia spends $7,691 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malaysia spends $1,441 as of 2023.
have 42.7% fewer doctors per person
Australia has 40.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Malaysia has 23.4 as of 2023.
have 12.6% less access to essential health services
Australia scores 87 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malaysia scores 76 as of 2021.
Economy
be 61.9% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Australia, 13.4% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In Malaysia, however, that number is 5.1% as of 2023.
make 79.8% less money
Australia has a GDP per capita of $65,130 as of 2025, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $13,125 as of 2025.
Life
have 15.5% more children
In Australia, there are approximately 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malaysia, there are 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 13.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Australia, approximately 2.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malaysia, 26.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.3 times more likely to die during infancy
In Australia, approximately 3.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Malaysia, on the other hand, 7.0 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 30.6% less on education
Australia spends 5.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Malaysia spends 3.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 61.9% less on healthcare
Australia spends 10.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 81.9% less coastline
Australia has a total of 25,760 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.
Safety
be 14.1% less likely to be murdered
Australia has a homicide rate of 0.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 3.1 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Australia, road accidents kill 4.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malaysia, they kill 13.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 26.3% less strain on fresh water
Australia withdraws 5% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malaysia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
find 62.9% less home broadband
Australia has 36.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malaysia has 13.6 as of 2024.
use 48.1% less electricity
Australia uses 9,801 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Malaysia uses 5,084 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 41.0% less CO2
Australia emits 14.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malaysia emits 8.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 6.3 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Australia, air pollution causes 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malaysia, it causes 63.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2020), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Australia vs. Malaysia
Malaysia: At a glance
How big is Malaysia compared to Australia? See an in-depth size comparison.