Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malaysia instead of Italy, you would:
Health
be 19.2% less likely to die by suicide
Italy has a suicide rate of 7.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malaysia, it is 5.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 7.1 years less
In Italy, the average life expectancy is 84 years (82 years for men, 86 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 66.8% more likely to be obese
In Italy, 14.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 23.3% of people as of 2024.
see 71.1% less spent on your healthcare
Italy spends $4,993 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malaysia spends $1,441 as of 2023.
have 44.1% fewer doctors per person
Italy has 41.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Malaysia has 23.4 as of 2023.
Economy
be 41.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Italy, 6.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malaysia, that number is 3.8% as of 2025.
be 74.6% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Italy, 20.1% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Malaysia, however, that number is 5.1% as of 2023.
make 69.7% less money
Italy has a GDP per capita of $43,309 as of 2025, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $13,125 as of 2025.
Life
have 96.2% more children
In Italy, there are approximately 6.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malaysia, there are 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 4.3 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Italy, approximately 6.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malaysia, 26.0 women do as of 2023.
be 3.0 times more likely to die during infancy
In Italy, approximately 2.3 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.
Expenditures
spend 13.8% less on education
Italy spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Malaysia spends 3.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 53.1% less on healthcare
Italy spends 8.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 38.5% less coastline
Italy has a total of 7,600 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.
Safety
be 28.1% more likely to be murdered
Italy has a homicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 2.8 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Italy, road accidents kill 5.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malaysia, they kill 13.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 88.4% less strain on fresh water
Italy withdraws 30% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malaysia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
find 57.4% less home broadband
Italy has 31.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malaysia has 13.6 as of 2024.
Environment
be 4.2 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Italy, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malaysia, it causes 63.0 as of 2019.
emit 63.8% more CO2
Italy emits 5.1 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), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Italy vs. Malaysia
Malaysia: At a glance
How big is Malaysia compared to Italy? See an in-depth size comparison.