If you lived in Malaysia instead of Cabo Verde, you would:

Health

see 2.3 times more spent on your healthcare

Cabo Verde spends $617 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malaysia spends $1,441 as of 2023.

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have 3.2 times more doctors per person

Cabo Verde has 7.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Malaysia has 23.4 as of 2023.

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be 62.1% less likely to die by suicide

Cabo Verde has a suicide rate of 14.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malaysia, it is 5.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 39.5% more likely to be obese

In Cabo Verde, 16.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 23.3% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

be 68.5% less likely to be unemployed

In Cabo Verde, 11.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malaysia, that number is 3.8% as of 2025.

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be 79.4% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Cabo Verde, 24.8% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Malaysia, however, that number is 5.1% as of 2023.

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make 2.3 times more money

Cabo Verde has a GDP per capita of $5,796 as of 2025, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $13,125 as of 2025.

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Life

be 35.0% less likely to die during childbirth

In Cabo Verde, approximately 40.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malaysia, 26.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 34.0% less likely to die during infancy

In Cabo Verde, approximately 10.6 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.

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Basic Needs

be 31.1% more likely to have internet access

In Cabo Verde, approximately 74.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malaysia, about 98.0% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 19.3% less on education

Cabo Verde spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Malaysia spends 3.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 32.3% less on healthcare

Cabo Verde spends 5.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 4.8 times more coastline

Cabo Verde has a total of 965 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.

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Safety

be 89.6% less likely to be murdered

Cabo Verde has a homicide rate of 7.0 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Malaysia, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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be 15.8% less likely to die in a road accident

In Cabo Verde, road accidents kill 16.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malaysia, they kill 13.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 63.1% more home broadband

Cabo Verde has 8.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malaysia has 13.6 as of 2024.

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live with 94.2% less strain on fresh water

Cabo Verde withdraws 60% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malaysia withdraws 3% as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 6.4 times more CO2

Cabo Verde emits 1.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malaysia emits 8.3 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this

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.
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