Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malaysia instead of Botswana, you would:
Health
be 98.1% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Botswana, 15.7% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 0.3% of people as of 2024.
live 7.5 years longer
In Botswana, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 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 10.1% more spent on your healthcare
Botswana spends $1,310 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malaysia spends $1,441 as of 2023.
have 6.2 times more doctors per person
Botswana has 3.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Malaysia has 23.4 as of 2023.
have 38.2% more access to essential health services
Botswana scores 55 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malaysia scores 76 as of 2021.
be 32.3% less likely to die by suicide
Botswana has a suicide rate of 8.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malaysia, it is 5.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 17.9% more likely to be obese
In Botswana, 19.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 23.3% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 84.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Botswana, 24.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malaysia, that number is 3.8% as of 2025.
make 68.7% more money
Botswana has a GDP per capita of $7,778 as of 2025, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $13,125 as of 2025.
Life
be 83.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In Botswana, approximately 155.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malaysia, 26.0 women do as of 2023.
be 78.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Botswana, approximately 32.1 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.
have 49.3% fewer children
In Botswana, there are approximately 24.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malaysia, there are 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 31.6% more likely to have access to electricity
In Botswana, approximately 76% of people have electricity access (98% in urban areas, and 25% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 70.6% more likely to have internet access
In Botswana, approximately 57.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malaysia, about 98.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 56.5% less on education
Botswana spends 8.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Malaysia spends 3.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 36.7% less on healthcare
Botswana spends 6.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 93.6% less likely to be murdered
Botswana has a homicide rate of 11.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malaysia, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 15.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Botswana, road accidents kill 16.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malaysia, they kill 13.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 82.1% more home broadband
Botswana has 7.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malaysia has 13.6 as of 2024.
use 3.1 times more electricity
Botswana uses 1,641 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Malaysia uses 5,084 kWh as of 2023.
live with 54.3% more strain on fresh water
Botswana withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malaysia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
Environment
be 14.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Botswana, air pollution causes 55.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malaysia, it causes 63.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.0 times more CO2
Botswana emits 2.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malaysia emits 8.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Botswana vs. Malaysia
Malaysia: At a glance
How big is Malaysia compared to Botswana? See an in-depth size comparison.