Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malaysia instead of Iceland, you would:
Health
be 52.6% less likely to die by suicide
Iceland has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malaysia, it is 5.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 6.0 years less
In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 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 79.2% less spent on your healthcare
Iceland spends $6,927 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malaysia spends $1,441 as of 2023.
have 46.5% fewer doctors per person
Iceland has 43.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Malaysia has 23.4 as of 2023.
have 14.6% less access to essential health services
Iceland scores 89 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malaysia scores 76 as of 2021.
Economy
make 86.7% less money
Iceland has a GDP per capita of $98,323 as of 2025, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $13,125 as of 2025.
Life
have 10.4% more children
In Iceland, there are approximately 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malaysia, there are 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 8.7 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Iceland, approximately 3.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malaysia, 26.0 women do as of 2023.
be 3.3 times more likely to die during infancy
In Iceland, approximately 2.1 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.
Expenditures
spend 52.0% less on education
Iceland spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Malaysia spends 3.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 55.9% less on healthcare
Iceland spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 43.4% less likely to be murdered
Iceland has a homicide rate of 1.3 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 5.8 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Iceland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malaysia, they kill 13.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 63.9% less home broadband
Iceland has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malaysia has 13.6 as of 2024.
live with 8.8 times more strain on fresh water
Iceland withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malaysia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
use 89.6% less electricity
Iceland uses 48,998 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Malaysia uses 5,084 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 7.9 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Iceland, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malaysia, it causes 63.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Iceland vs. Malaysia
Malaysia: At a glance
How big is Malaysia compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.