Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malaysia instead of Ecuador, you would:
Health
be 19.4% less likely to be obese
In Ecuador, 28.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 23.3% of people as of 2024.
see 16.4% more spent on your healthcare
Ecuador spends $1,238 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malaysia spends $1,441 as of 2023.
be 25.3% less likely to die by suicide
Ecuador 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.
Economy
be 76.2% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Ecuador, 21.4% live below the poverty line as of 2025. In Malaysia, however, that number is 5.1% as of 2023.
make 84.2% more money
Ecuador has a GDP per capita of $7,125 as of 2025, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $13,125 as of 2025.
be 13.6% more likely to be unemployed
In Ecuador, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malaysia, that number is 3.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 52.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Ecuador, approximately 55.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malaysia, 26.0 women do as of 2023.
be 35.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Ecuador, approximately 10.9 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.
have 16.6% fewer children
In Ecuador, there are approximately 14.8 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 27.0% more likely to have internet access
In Ecuador, approximately 77.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malaysia, about 98.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 47.6% less on healthcare
Ecuador spends 7.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 2.1 times more coastline
Ecuador has a total of 2,237 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.
Safety
be 98.4% less likely to be murdered
Ecuador has a homicide rate of 45.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 40.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In Ecuador, road accidents kill 23.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malaysia, they kill 13.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 49.3% less strain on fresh water
Ecuador withdraws 7% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malaysia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
use 3.0 times more electricity
Ecuador uses 1,676 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Malaysia uses 5,084 kWh as of 2023.
find 21.4% less home broadband
Ecuador has 17.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malaysia has 13.6 as of 2024.
Environment
be 2.7 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Ecuador, air pollution causes 23.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malaysia, it causes 63.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.2 times more CO2
Ecuador emits 2.6 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: Ecuador vs. Malaysia
Malaysia: At a glance
How big is Malaysia compared to Ecuador? See an in-depth size comparison.