Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malaysia instead of Cuba, you would:
Health
be 59.0% less likely to die by suicide
Cuba has a suicide rate of 13.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malaysia, it is 5.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 1.4 years less
In Cuba, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 81 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 44.0% less spent on your healthcare
Cuba spends $2,575 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malaysia spends $1,441 as of 2023.
have 75.5% fewer doctors per person
Cuba has 95.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Malaysia has 23.4 as of 2023.
Economy
be 2.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In Cuba, 1.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malaysia, that number is 3.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 25.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Cuba, approximately 35.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malaysia, 26.0 women do as of 2023.
have 43.4% more children
In Cuba, there are approximately 8.6 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 39.1% more likely to have internet access
In Cuba, approximately 70.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malaysia, about 98.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 58.4% less on education
Cuba spends 8.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Malaysia spends 3.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 57.8% less on healthcare
Cuba spends 9.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 25.2% more coastline
Cuba has a total of 3,735 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.
Safety
be 2.6 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Cuba, road accidents kill 5.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malaysia, they kill 13.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 4.4 times more home broadband
Cuba has 3.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malaysia has 13.6 as of 2024.
live with 85.6% less strain on fresh water
Cuba withdraws 24% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malaysia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
use 3.5 times more electricity
Cuba uses 1,462 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Malaysia uses 5,084 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 2.0 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Cuba, air pollution causes 31.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malaysia, it causes 63.0 as of 2019.
emit 4.4 times more CO2
Cuba emits 1.9 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), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Cuba vs. Malaysia
Malaysia: At a glance
How big is Malaysia compared to Cuba? See an in-depth size comparison.