Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malaysia instead of Bahrain, you would:
Health
be 33.2% less likely to be obese
In Bahrain, 34.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 23.3% of people as of 2024.
have 3.2 times more doctors per person
Bahrain has 7.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Malaysia has 23.4 as of 2023.
live 4.6 years less
In Bahrain, the average life expectancy is 81 years (81 years for men, 82 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 43.6% less spent on your healthcare
Bahrain spends $2,555 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malaysia spends $1,441 as of 2023.
be 21.2% more likely to die by suicide
Bahrain has a suicide rate of 4.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malaysia, it is 5.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 3.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In Bahrain, 1.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malaysia, that number is 3.8% as of 2025.
make 57.1% less money
Bahrain has a GDP per capita of $30,597 as of 2025, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $13,125 as of 2025.
Life
be 52.9% more likely to die during childbirth
In Bahrain, approximately 17.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malaysia, 26.0 women do as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 85.7% more on education
Bahrain spends 1.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Malaysia spends 3.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 29.0 times more coastline
Bahrain has a total of 161 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.
Safety
be 3.6 times more likely to be murdered
Bahrain has a homicide rate of 0.2 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Malaysia, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 71.6% more likely to die in a road accident
In Bahrain, road accidents kill 8.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malaysia, they kill 13.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 97.4% less strain on fresh water
Bahrain withdraws 134% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malaysia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
find 20.2% less home broadband
Bahrain has 17.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malaysia has 13.6 as of 2024.
use 78.0% less electricity
Bahrain uses 23,120 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Malaysia uses 5,084 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 65.2% less CO2
Bahrain emits 23.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malaysia emits 8.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Bahrain vs. Malaysia
Malaysia: At a glance
How big is Malaysia compared to Bahrain? See an in-depth size comparison.