Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Australia instead of Malaysia, you would:
Health
live 6.2 years longer
In Malaysia, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In Australia, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024.
see 5.3 times more spent on your healthcare
Malaysia spends $1,441 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Australia spends $7,691 as of 2023.
have 74.5% more doctors per person
Malaysia has 23.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Australia has 40.9 as of 2022.
have 14.5% more access to essential health services
Malaysia scores 76 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Australia scores 87 as of 2021.
be 31.1% more likely to be obese
In Malaysia, 23.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Australia, that number is 30.6% of people as of 2024.
be 2.3 times more likely to die by suicide
Malaysia has a suicide rate of 5.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Australia, it is 13.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 5.0 times more money
Malaysia has a GDP per capita of $13,125 as of 2025, while in Australia, the GDP per capita is $65,130 as of 2025.
be 2.6 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Malaysia, 5.1% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Australia, however, that number is 13.4% as of 2020.
Life
be 92.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In Malaysia, approximately 26.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Australia, 2.0 women do as of 2023.
be 55.7% less likely to die during infancy
In Malaysia, approximately 7.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Australia, on the other hand, 3.1 children do as of 2024.
have 13.4% fewer children
In Malaysia, there are approximately 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Australia, there are 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 44.2% more on education
Malaysia spends 3.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Australia spends 5.1% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 2.6 times more on healthcare
Malaysia spends 4.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Australia, that number is 10.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 5.5 times more coastline
Malaysia has a total of 4,675 km of coastline. In Australia, that number is 25,760 km.
Safety
be 67.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In Malaysia, road accidents kill 13.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Australia, they kill 4.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 16.4% more likely to be murdered
Malaysia has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Australia, that number is 0.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 2.7 times more home broadband
Malaysia has 13.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Australia has 36.5 as of 2024.
use 92.8% more electricity
Malaysia uses 5,084 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Australia uses 9,801 kWh as of 2024.
live with 35.8% more strain on fresh water
Malaysia withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Australia withdraws 5% as of 2022.
Environment
be 84.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Malaysia, air pollution causes 63.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Australia, it causes 10.0 as of 2019.
emit 69.5% more CO2
Malaysia emits 8.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Australia emits 14.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2020), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Malaysia vs. Australia
Australia: At a glance
How big is Australia compared to Malaysia? See an in-depth size comparison.