Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malaysia instead of Latvia, you would:
Health
be 62.9% less likely to die by suicide
Latvia has a suicide rate of 15.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malaysia, it is 5.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 52.5% less spent on your healthcare
Latvia spends $3,034 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malaysia spends $1,441 as of 2023.
have 31.1% fewer doctors per person
Latvia has 34.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Malaysia has 23.4 as of 2023.
Economy
be 42.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Latvia, 6.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malaysia, that number is 3.8% as of 2025.
be 77.3% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Latvia, 22.5% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Malaysia, however, that number is 5.1% as of 2023.
make 50.1% less money
Latvia has a GDP per capita of $26,312 as of 2025, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $13,125 as of 2025.
Life
have 79.1% more children
In Latvia, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malaysia, there are 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 36.8% more likely to die during childbirth
In Latvia, approximately 19.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malaysia, 26.0 women do as of 2023.
be 3.2 times more likely to die during infancy
In Latvia, approximately 2.2 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 18.8% less on education
Latvia spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Malaysia spends 3.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 45.6% less on healthcare
Latvia spends 7.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 9.4 times more coastline
Latvia has a total of 498 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.
Safety
be 70.8% less likely to be murdered
Latvia has a homicide rate of 2.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 20.7% more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Latvia, 75% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2020. In Malaysia, that number is 90% as of 2021.
be 41.8% more likely to die in a road accident
In Latvia, road accidents kill 9.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malaysia, they kill 13.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
use 34.9% more electricity
Latvia uses 3,768 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Malaysia uses 5,084 kWh as of 2023.
find 47.4% less home broadband
Latvia has 25.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malaysia has 13.6 as of 2024.
live with 3.4 times more strain on fresh water
Latvia withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malaysia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
Environment
be 57.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Latvia, air pollution causes 40.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malaysia, it causes 63.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.3 times more CO2
Latvia emits 3.6 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), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Latvia vs. Malaysia
Malaysia: At a glance
How big is Malaysia compared to Latvia? See an in-depth size comparison.