Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Malaysia instead of Hong Kong, you would:

Health

live 8.6 years less

In Hong Kong, the average life expectancy is 85 years (83 years for men, 88 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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Economy

be 34.3% more likely to be unemployed

In Hong Kong, 2.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malaysia, that number is 3.8% as of 2025.

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make 77.0% less money

Hong Kong has a GDP per capita of $56,983 as of 2025, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $13,125 as of 2025.

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Life

have 2.5 times more children

In Hong Kong, there are approximately 4.9 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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be 2.7 times more likely to die during infancy

In Hong Kong, approximately 2.5 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Malaysia, on the other hand, 7.0 children do as of 2024.

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Geography

see 6.4 times more coastline

Hong Kong has a total of 733 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.

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Safety

be 92.1% more likely to be murdered

Hong Kong has a homicide rate of 0.4 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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Infrastructure

find 66.4% less home broadband

Hong Kong has 40.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malaysia has 13.6 as of 2024.

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use 20.1% less electricity

Hong Kong uses 6,359 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Malaysia uses 5,084 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

emit 80.9% more CO2

Hong Kong 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 (2023–2025), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this

Compare further: Hong Kong vs. Malaysia

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Malaysia is 67.2% cheaper than Hong Kong overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Hong Kong is about 298 times smaller than Malaysia.
→
Moving from Hong Kong to Malaysia · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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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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How big is Malaysia compared to Hong Kong? See an in-depth size comparison.

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