Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malaysia instead of Ghana, you would:
Health
be 80.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Ghana, 1.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 0.3% of people as of 2024.
live 11.1 years longer
In Ghana, the average life expectancy is 66 years (63 years for men, 68 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 6.1 times more spent on your healthcare
Ghana spends $234 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malaysia spends $1,441 as of 2023.
have 8.8 times more doctors per person
Ghana has 2.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Malaysia has 23.4 as of 2023.
have 58.3% more access to essential health services
Ghana scores 48 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malaysia scores 76 as of 2021.
be 60.3% more likely to be obese
In Ghana, 14.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 23.3% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 4.0 times more money
Ghana has a GDP per capita of $3,257 as of 2025, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $13,125 as of 2025.
be 26.2% more likely to be unemployed
In Ghana, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malaysia, that number is 3.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 88.9% less likely to die during childbirth
In Ghana, approximately 234.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malaysia, 26.0 women do as of 2023.
be 25.2% more likely to be literate
In Ghana, the literacy rate is 76.5% as of 2021. In Malaysia, it is 95.8% as of 2022.
be 74.5% less likely to die during infancy
In Ghana, approximately 27.5 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.
have 52.3% fewer children
In Ghana, there are approximately 25.9 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 11.7% more likely to have access to electricity
In Ghana, approximately 90% of people have electricity access (98% in urban areas, and 78% 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 35.8% more likely to have internet access
In Ghana, approximately 72.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malaysia, about 98.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 20.6% more on education
Ghana spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Malaysia spends 3.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 34.2% more on healthcare
Ghana spends 3.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 8.7 times more coastline
Ghana has a total of 539 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.
Safety
be 60.1% less likely to be murdered
Ghana has a homicide rate of 1.8 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Malaysia, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 46.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Ghana, road accidents kill 25.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malaysia, they kill 13.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 20.5 times more home broadband
Ghana has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malaysia has 13.6 as of 2024.
live with 45.5% less strain on fresh water
Ghana withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malaysia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
use 9.0 times more electricity
Ghana uses 565 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Malaysia uses 5,084 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 29.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Ghana, air pollution causes 89.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malaysia, it causes 63.0 as of 2019.
emit 11.9 times more CO2
Ghana emits 0.7 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: Ghana vs. Malaysia
Malaysia: At a glance
How big is Malaysia compared to Ghana? See an in-depth size comparison.