Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malaysia instead of Brazil, you would:
Health
live 0.8 years longer
In Brazil, the average life expectancy is 76 years (73 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.
be 22.6% less likely to be obese
In Brazil, 30.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 23.3% of people as of 2024.
be 25.6% less likely to die by suicide
Brazil has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malaysia, it is 5.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 30.4% less spent on your healthcare
Brazil spends $2,070 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malaysia spends $1,441 as of 2023.
Economy
be 37.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Brazil, 6.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malaysia, that number is 3.8% as of 2025.
make 22.5% more money
Brazil has a GDP per capita of $10,713 as of 2025, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $13,125 as of 2025.
Life
be 61.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In Brazil, approximately 67.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malaysia, 26.0 women do as of 2023.
be 43.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Brazil, approximately 12.3 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.
Basic Needs
be 16.1% more likely to have internet access
In Brazil, approximately 84.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malaysia, about 98.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 37.5% less on education
Brazil spends 5.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Malaysia spends 3.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 59.3% less on healthcare
Brazil spends 9.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 37.6% less coastline
Brazil has a total of 7,491 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.
Safety
be 96.2% less likely to be murdered
Brazil has a homicide rate of 19.3 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 87.4% more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Brazil, 48% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2021. In Malaysia, that number is 90% as of 2021.
be 11.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Brazil, road accidents kill 15.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malaysia, they kill 13.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
use 65.7% more electricity
Brazil uses 3,068 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Malaysia uses 5,084 kWh as of 2023.
find 43.7% less home broadband
Brazil has 24.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malaysia has 13.6 as of 2024.
live with 2.3 times more strain on fresh water
Brazil withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malaysia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
Environment
be 2.7 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Brazil, air pollution causes 23.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malaysia, it causes 63.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.6 times more CO2
Brazil emits 2.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malaysia emits 8.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Brazil vs. Malaysia
Malaysia: At a glance
How big is Malaysia compared to Brazil? See an in-depth size comparison.