Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malaysia instead of El Salvador, you would:
Health
live 4.5 years longer
In El Salvador, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 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 27.5% less likely to be obese
In El Salvador, 32.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 23.3% of people as of 2024.
see 22.6% more spent on your healthcare
El Salvador spends $1,176 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malaysia spends $1,441 as of 2023.
have 44.9% more doctors per person
El Salvador has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Malaysia has 23.4 as of 2023.
be 26.0% less likely to die by suicide
El Salvador 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 81.3% less likely to live below the poverty line
In El Salvador, 27.2% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Malaysia, however, that number is 5.1% as of 2023.
make 2.3 times more money
El Salvador has a GDP per capita of $5,767 as of 2025, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $13,125 as of 2025.
be 13.9% more likely to be unemployed
In El Salvador, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malaysia, that number is 3.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 33.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In El Salvador, approximately 39.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malaysia, 26.0 women do as of 2023.
be 20.5% less likely to die during infancy
In El Salvador, approximately 8.8 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 20.8% fewer children
In El Salvador, there are approximately 15.6 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 47.4% more likely to have internet access
In El Salvador, approximately 66.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malaysia, about 98.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 57.4% less on healthcare
El Salvador spends 9.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 15.2 times more coastline
El Salvador has a total of 307 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.
Safety
be 90.8% less likely to be murdered
El Salvador has a homicide rate of 7.9 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Malaysia, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 2.4 times more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In El Salvador, 38% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2019. In Malaysia, that number is 90% as of 2021.
be 35.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In El Salvador, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malaysia, they kill 13.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 71.5% less strain on fresh water
El Salvador withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malaysia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
use 4.5 times more electricity
El Salvador uses 1,137 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 El Salvador, air pollution causes 31.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malaysia, it causes 63.0 as of 2019.
emit 5.5 times more CO2
El Salvador emits 1.5 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: El Salvador vs. Malaysia
Malaysia: At a glance
How big is Malaysia compared to El Salvador? See an in-depth size comparison.