Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malaysia instead of Kiribati, you would:
Health
live 10.2 years longer
In Kiribati, the average life expectancy is 67 years (65 years for men, 68 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 48.8% less likely to be obese
In Kiribati, 45.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 23.3% of people as of 2024.
see 3.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Kiribati spends $401 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malaysia spends $1,441 as of 2023.
have 58.3% more access to essential health services
Kiribati scores 48 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malaysia scores 76 as of 2021.
be 67.7% less likely to die by suicide
Kiribati has a suicide rate of 17.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malaysia, it is 5.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 5.1 times more money
Kiribati has a GDP per capita of $2,559 as of 2025, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $13,125 as of 2025.
Life
be 67.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Kiribati, approximately 80.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malaysia, 26.0 women do as of 2023.
be 82.0% less likely to die during infancy
In Kiribati, approximately 38.8 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.
have 51.2% fewer children
In Kiribati, there are approximately 25.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malaysia, there are 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 23.9% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Kiribati, approximately 79% of people have access to drinking water (90% in urban areas, and 64% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 98% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 95% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 78.6% less on education
Kiribati spends 16.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Malaysia spends 3.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 63.8% less on healthcare
Kiribati spends 10.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 4.1 times more coastline
Kiribati has a total of 1,143 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.
Safety
be 2.2 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Kiribati, road accidents kill 6.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malaysia, they kill 13.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 451.7 times more home broadband
Kiribati has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malaysia has 13.6 as of 2024.
Environment
be 28.6% more likely to die from air pollution
In Kiribati, air pollution causes 49.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malaysia, it causes 63.0 as of 2019.
emit 14.1 times more CO2
Kiribati emits 0.6 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: Kiribati vs. Malaysia
Malaysia: At a glance
How big is Malaysia compared to Kiribati? See an in-depth size comparison.