Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malaysia instead of Japan, you would:
Health
live 8.7 years less
In Japan, the average life expectancy is 85 years (82 years for men, 88 years for women) as of 2022. In Malaysia, that number is 76 years (74 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2022.
be 3.6 times more likely to be obese
In Japan, 4.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Malaysia, that number is 15.6% of people as of 2016.
Economy
be 61.5% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Japan, 16.1% live below the poverty line as of 2013. In Malaysia, however, that number is 6.2% as of 2021.
pay a 50.0% lower top tax rate
Japan has a top tax rate of 56.0% as of 2016. In Malaysia, the top tax rate is 28.0% as of 2016.
make 27.4% less money
Japan has a GDP per capita of $46,300 as of 2023, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $33,600 as of 2023.
be 49.6% more likely to be unemployed
In Japan, 2.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 3.9% as of 2023.
Life
have 2.1 times more children
In Japan, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malaysia, there are 14.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 5.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Japan, approximately 4.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Malaysia, 21.0 women do as of 2020.
be 3.5 times more likely to die during infancy
In Japan, approximately 1.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Malaysia, on the other hand, 6.6 children do as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 16.9% more likely to have internet access
In Japan, approximately 83.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Malaysia, about 97.0% do as of 2021.
Expenditures
spend 62.4% less on healthcare
Japan spends 10.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Malaysia, that number is 4.1% of GDP as of 2020.
spend 14.7% more on education
Japan spends 3.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Malaysia spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
Geography
see 84.3% less coastline
Japan has a total of 29,751 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia, National Tax Agency Japan.
Malaysia: At a glance
How big is Malaysia compared to Japan? See an in-depth size comparison.