Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malaysia instead of Canada, you would:
Health
be 10.2% less likely to be obese
In Canada, 26.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 23.3% of people as of 2024.
be 40.1% less likely to die by suicide
Canada has a suicide rate of 9.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malaysia, it is 5.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 5.3 years less
In Canada, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 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 81.2% less spent on your healthcare
Canada spends $7,646 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malaysia spends $1,441 as of 2023.
have 17.0% fewer doctors per person
Canada has 28.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Malaysia has 23.4 as of 2023.
have 16.5% less access to essential health services
Canada scores 91 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malaysia scores 76 as of 2021.
Economy
be 45.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Canada, 6.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malaysia, that number is 3.8% as of 2025.
make 76.4% less money
Canada has a GDP per capita of $55,698 as of 2025, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $13,125 as of 2025.
Life
have 38.9% more children
In Canada, there are approximately 8.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malaysia, there are 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Canada, approximately 12.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malaysia, 26.0 women do as of 2023.
be 48.9% more likely to die during infancy
In Canada, approximately 4.7 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 27.5% less on education
Canada spends 4.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Malaysia spends 3.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 65.0% less on healthcare
Canada spends 11.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 97.7% less coastline
Canada has a total of 202,080 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.
Safety
be 63.1% less likely to be murdered
Canada has a homicide rate of 2.0 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 3.0 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Canada, road accidents kill 4.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malaysia, they kill 13.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 68.1% less home broadband
Canada has 42.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malaysia has 13.6 as of 2024.
use 63.9% less electricity
Canada uses 14,093 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Malaysia uses 5,084 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 40.6% less CO2
Canada emits 14.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malaysia emits 8.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 7.9 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Canada, air pollution causes 8.0 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), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Canada vs. Malaysia
Malaysia: At a glance
How big is Malaysia compared to Canada? See an in-depth size comparison.