If you lived in Malaysia instead of Guyana, you would:

Health

be 81.2% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Guyana, 1.6% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 0.3% of people as of 2024.

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live 6.5 years longer

In Guyana, the average life expectancy is 70 years (67 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 22.6% less likely to be obese

In Guyana, 30.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 23.3% of people as of 2024.

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have 68.8% more doctors per person

Guyana has 13.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Malaysia has 23.4 as of 2023.

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be 77.2% less likely to die by suicide

Guyana has a suicide rate of 24.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malaysia, it is 5.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 68.6% less likely to be unemployed

In Guyana, 12.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malaysia, that number is 3.8% as of 2025.

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make 59.5% less money

Guyana has a GDP per capita of $32,414 as of 2025, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $13,125 as of 2025.

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Life

be 65.3% less likely to die during childbirth

In Guyana, approximately 75.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malaysia, 26.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 69.8% less likely to die during infancy

In Guyana, approximately 23.2 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.

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have 37.8% fewer children

In Guyana, there are approximately 19.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malaysia, there are 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 18.1% more likely to have internet access

In Guyana, approximately 83.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malaysia, about 98.0% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 60.3% more on healthcare

Guyana spends 2.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 10.2 times more coastline

Guyana has a total of 459 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.

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Safety

be 96.2% less likely to be murdered

Guyana has a homicide rate of 19.1 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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Environment

be 21.2% more likely to die from air pollution

In Guyana, air pollution causes 52.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malaysia, it causes 63.0 as of 2019.

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emit 82.5% more CO2

Guyana emits 4.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malaysia emits 8.3 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2019). How we calculate this

Malaysia: At a glance

Malaysia is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 328,657 sq km. During the late 18th and 19th centuries, Great Britain established colonies and protectorates in the area of current Malaysia; these were occupied by Japan from 1942 to 1945. In 1948, the British-ruled territories on the Malay Peninsula except Singapore formed the Federation of Malaya, which became independent in 1957. Malaysia was formed in 1963 when the former British colonies of Singapore, as well as Sabah and Sarawak on the northern coast of Borneo, joined the Federation. The first several years of the country's independence were marred by a communist insurgency, Indonesian confrontation with Malaysia, Philippine claims to Sabah, and Singapore's withdrawal in 1965. During the 22-year term of Prime Minister MAHATHIR bin Mohamad (1981-2003), Malaysia was successful in diversifying its economy from dependence on exports of raw materials to the development of manufacturing, services, and tourism. Prime Minister Mohamed NAJIB bin Abdul Razak (in office since April 2009) has continued these pro-business policies and has introduced some civil reforms.
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