Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malaysia instead of Eritrea, you would:
Health
live 7.9 years longer
In Eritrea, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 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 16.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Eritrea spends $87 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malaysia spends $1,441 as of 2023.
have 26.6 times more doctors per person
Eritrea has 0.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Malaysia has 23.4 as of 2023.
have 68.9% more access to essential health services
Eritrea scores 45 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malaysia scores 76 as of 2021.
be 57.3% less likely to die by suicide
Eritrea has a suicide rate of 13.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malaysia, it is 5.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 5.4 times more likely to be obese
In Eritrea, 4.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 23.3% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 37.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Eritrea, 6.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malaysia, that number is 3.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 91.1% less likely to die during childbirth
In Eritrea, approximately 291.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malaysia, 26.0 women do as of 2023.
be 71.7% less likely to die during infancy
In Eritrea, approximately 24.7 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.
have 57.0% fewer children
In Eritrea, there are approximately 28.7 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 83.8% more likely to have access to electricity
In Eritrea, approximately 54% of people have electricity access (77% in urban areas, and 37% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 3.7 times more likely to have internet access
In Eritrea, approximately 26.6% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Malaysia, about 98.0% do as of 2024.
Geography
see 2.1 times more coastline
Eritrea has a total of 2,234 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.
Safety
be 21.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Eritrea, road accidents kill 17.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malaysia, they kill 13.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 79.7 times more home broadband
Eritrea has 0.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Malaysia has 13.6 as of 2024.
live with 69.2% less strain on fresh water
Eritrea withdraws 11% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malaysia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
use 41.2 times more electricity
Eritrea uses 123 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Malaysia uses 5,084 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 19.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Eritrea, air pollution causes 78.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malaysia, it causes 63.0 as of 2019.
emit 37.8 times more CO2
Eritrea emits 0.2 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 (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Eritrea vs. Malaysia
Malaysia: At a glance
How big is Malaysia compared to Eritrea? See an in-depth size comparison.