Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malaysia instead of Guinea-Bissau, you would:
Health
be 86.4% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Guinea-Bissau, 2.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 0.3% of people as of 2024.
live 12.6 years longer
In Guinea-Bissau, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 67 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 5.8 times more spent on your healthcare
Guinea-Bissau spends $247 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malaysia spends $1,441 as of 2023.
have 9.3 times more doctors per person
Guinea-Bissau has 2.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Malaysia has 23.4 as of 2023.
have 2.1 times more access to essential health services
Guinea-Bissau scores 37 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malaysia scores 76 as of 2021.
be 26.3% less likely to die by suicide
Guinea-Bissau has a suicide rate of 7.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malaysia, it is 5.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 83.6% more likely to be obese
In Guinea-Bissau, 12.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 23.3% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 89.9% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Guinea-Bissau, 50.5% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Malaysia, however, that number is 5.1% as of 2023.
make 11.7 times more money
Guinea-Bissau has a GDP per capita of $1,124 as of 2025, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $13,125 as of 2025.
be 40.8% more likely to be unemployed
In Guinea-Bissau, 2.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malaysia, that number is 3.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 94.9% less likely to die during childbirth
In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 505.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malaysia, 26.0 women do as of 2023.
be 49.8% more likely to be literate
In Guinea-Bissau, the literacy rate is 63.9% as of 2022. In Malaysia, it is 95.8% as of 2022.
be 83.4% less likely to die during infancy
In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 42.1 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 58.2% fewer children
In Guinea-Bissau, there are approximately 29.6 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 2.5 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 40% of people have electricity access (64% in urban areas, and 21% 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 3.3 times more likely to have internet access
In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 29.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malaysia, about 98.0% do as of 2024.
be 58.5% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 62% of people have access to drinking water (73% in urban areas, and 53% 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 55.1% less on healthcare
Guinea-Bissau spends 8.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 30.0% more on education
Guinea-Bissau spends 2.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Malaysia spends 3.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 13.4 times more coastline
Guinea-Bissau has a total of 350 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.
Safety
be 54.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Guinea-Bissau, road accidents kill 30.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malaysia, they kill 13.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 34.7 times more home broadband
Guinea-Bissau has 0.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malaysia has 13.6 as of 2024.
live with 2.3 times more strain on fresh water
Guinea-Bissau withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malaysia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
Environment
be 29.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Guinea-Bissau, air pollution causes 89.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malaysia, it causes 63.0 as of 2019.
emit 52.0 times more CO2
Guinea-Bissau 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 (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2020), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Guinea-Bissau vs. Malaysia
Malaysia: At a glance
How big is Malaysia compared to Guinea-Bissau? See an in-depth size comparison.