Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malaysia instead of Denmark, you would:
Health
be 46.0% less likely to die by suicide
Denmark has a suicide rate of 10.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malaysia, it is 5.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 5.4 years less
In Denmark, 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.
be 62.8% more likely to be obese
In Denmark, 14.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 23.3% of people as of 2024.
see 80.2% less spent on your healthcare
Denmark spends $7,262 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malaysia spends $1,441 as of 2023.
have 48.0% fewer doctors per person
Denmark has 45.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Malaysia has 23.4 as of 2023.
Economy
be 32.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Denmark, 5.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malaysia, that number is 3.8% as of 2025.
be 58.9% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Denmark, 12.4% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Malaysia, however, that number is 5.1% as of 2023.
make 82.9% less money
Denmark has a GDP per capita of $76,970 as of 2025, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $13,125 as of 2025.
Life
have 30.1% more children
In Denmark, there are approximately 9.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malaysia, there are 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 6.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Denmark, approximately 4.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malaysia, 26.0 women do as of 2023.
be 100.0% more likely to die during infancy
In Denmark, approximately 3.5 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 44.8% less on education
Denmark spends 6.4% 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
Denmark spends 9.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 36.1% less coastline
Denmark has a total of 7,314 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.
Safety
be 13.1% less likely to be murdered
Denmark has a homicide rate of 0.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 6.0 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Denmark, road accidents kill 2.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malaysia, they kill 13.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 86.4% less strain on fresh water
Denmark withdraws 25% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malaysia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
find 68.8% less home broadband
Denmark has 43.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malaysia has 13.6 as of 2024.
use 17.5% less electricity
Denmark uses 6,165 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Malaysia uses 5,084 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 4.8 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Denmark, air pollution causes 13.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malaysia, it causes 63.0 as of 2019.
emit 94.4% more CO2
Denmark emits 4.3 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: Denmark vs. Malaysia
Malaysia: At a glance
How big is Malaysia compared to Denmark? See an in-depth size comparison.