Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malaysia instead of Iran, you would:
Health
see 35.4% more spent on your healthcare
Iran spends $1,064 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malaysia spends $1,441 as of 2023.
have 29.3% more doctors per person
Iran has 18.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Malaysia has 23.4 as of 2023.
live 1.0 years less
In Iran, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.
be 38.8% more likely to die by suicide
Iran has a suicide rate of 4.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malaysia, it is 5.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 54.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Iran, 8.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malaysia, that number is 3.8% as of 2025.
make 3.3 times more money
Iran has a GDP per capita of $3,924 as of 2025, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $13,125 as of 2025.
Life
be 32.0% less likely to die during infancy
In Iran, approximately 10.3 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.
be 62.5% more likely to die during childbirth
In Iran, approximately 16.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malaysia, 26.0 women do as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 14.9% more likely to have internet access
In Iran, approximately 85.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malaysia, about 98.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 34.3% less on healthcare
Iran spends 6.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 24.5% more on education
Iran spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Malaysia spends 3.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 91.6% more coastline
Iran has a total of 2,440 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.
Safety
be 32.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Iran, road accidents kill 20.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malaysia, they kill 13.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 12.4% more home broadband
Iran has 12.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malaysia has 13.6 as of 2024.
live with 95.8% less strain on fresh water
Iran withdraws 81% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malaysia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
use 33.3% more electricity
Iran uses 3,815 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Malaysia uses 5,084 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 23.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Iran, air pollution causes 51.0 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), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Iran vs. Malaysia
Malaysia: At a glance
How big is Malaysia compared to Iran? See an in-depth size comparison.