Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malaysia instead of Estonia, you would:
Health
be 62.2% less likely to die by suicide
Estonia has a suicide rate of 14.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malaysia, it is 5.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 2.5 years less
In Estonia, the average life expectancy is 79 years (75 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 14.8% more likely to be obese
In Estonia, 20.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 23.3% of people as of 2024.
see 61.5% less spent on your healthcare
Estonia spends $3,741 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malaysia spends $1,441 as of 2023.
have 32.5% fewer doctors per person
Estonia has 34.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Malaysia has 23.4 as of 2023.
Economy
be 54.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Estonia, 8.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malaysia, that number is 3.8% as of 2025.
be 77.3% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Estonia, 22.5% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Malaysia, however, that number is 5.1% as of 2023.
make 61.9% less money
Estonia has a GDP per capita of $34,418 as of 2025, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $13,125 as of 2025.
Life
have 74.1% more children
In Estonia, there are approximately 7.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malaysia, there are 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 5.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Estonia, approximately 5.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malaysia, 26.0 women do as of 2023.
be 4.7 times more likely to die during infancy
In Estonia, approximately 1.5 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 32.6% less on education
Estonia spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Malaysia spends 3.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 49.5% less on healthcare
Estonia spends 7.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 23.2% more coastline
Estonia has a total of 3,794 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.
Safety
be 52.6% less likely to be murdered
Estonia has a homicide rate of 1.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 20.7% more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Estonia, 75% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2021. In Malaysia, that number is 90% as of 2021.
be 3.2 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Estonia, road accidents kill 4.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malaysia, they kill 13.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 73.6% less strain on fresh water
Estonia withdraws 13% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malaysia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
find 61.7% less home broadband
Estonia has 35.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malaysia has 13.6 as of 2024.
Environment
be 4.8 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Estonia, air pollution causes 13.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malaysia, it causes 63.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Estonia vs. Malaysia
Malaysia: At a glance
How big is Malaysia compared to Estonia? See an in-depth size comparison.