Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malaysia instead of Gabon, you would:
Health
be 89.3% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Gabon, 2.8% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 0.3% of people as of 2024.
live 8.3 years longer
In Gabon, the average life expectancy is 69 years (66 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 2.1 times more spent on your healthcare
Gabon spends $673 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malaysia spends $1,441 as of 2023.
have 4.5 times more doctors per person
Gabon has 5.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Malaysia has 23.4 as of 2023.
have 55.1% more access to essential health services
Gabon scores 49 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malaysia scores 76 as of 2021.
be 22.6% less likely to die by suicide
Gabon has a suicide rate of 7.3 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 be unemployed
In Gabon, 20.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malaysia, that number is 3.8% as of 2025.
make 58.8% more money
Gabon has a GDP per capita of $8,263 as of 2025, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $13,125 as of 2025.
Life
be 88.8% less likely to die during childbirth
In Gabon, approximately 233.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malaysia, 26.0 women do as of 2023.
be 73.0% less likely to die during infancy
In Gabon, approximately 25.9 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 54.4% fewer children
In Gabon, there are approximately 27.1 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 42.6% more likely to have internet access
In Gabon, approximately 68.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malaysia, about 98.0% do as of 2024.
be 10.5% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Gabon, approximately 89% of people have access to drinking water (92% in urban areas, and 49% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 98% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 95% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 51.3% more on education
Gabon spends 2.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Malaysia spends 3.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 26.5% more on healthcare
Gabon spends 3.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 5.3 times more coastline
Gabon has a total of 885 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.
Safety
be 11.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In Gabon, road accidents kill 12.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malaysia, they kill 13.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.9 times more home broadband
Gabon has 4.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malaysia has 13.6 as of 2024.
use 5.0 times more electricity
Gabon uses 1,023 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Malaysia uses 5,084 kWh as of 2023.
live with 6.9 times more strain on fresh water
Gabon withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malaysia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
Environment
be 18.9% more likely to die from air pollution
In Gabon, air pollution causes 53.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malaysia, it causes 63.0 as of 2019.
emit 4.1 times more CO2
Gabon emits 2.0 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), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Gabon vs. Malaysia
Malaysia: At a glance
How big is Malaysia compared to Gabon? See an in-depth size comparison.