Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Bahrain instead of Malaysia, you would:
Health
live 4.6 years longer
In Malaysia, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In Bahrain, that number is 81 years (81 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024.
see 77.3% more spent on your healthcare
Malaysia spends $1,441 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Bahrain spends $2,555 as of 2023.
be 17.5% less likely to die by suicide
Malaysia has a suicide rate of 5.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Bahrain, it is 4.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 49.7% more likely to be obese
In Malaysia, 23.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Bahrain, that number is 34.9% of people as of 2024.
have 68.3% fewer doctors per person
Malaysia has 23.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Bahrain has 7.4 as of 2020.
Economy
be 70.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Malaysia, 3.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Bahrain, that number is 1.1% as of 2025.
make 2.3 times more money
Malaysia has a GDP per capita of $13,125 as of 2025, while in Bahrain, the GDP per capita is $30,597 as of 2025.
Life
be 34.6% 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 Bahrain, 17.0 women do as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 46.2% less on education
Malaysia spends 3.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Bahrain spends 1.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 96.6% less coastline
Malaysia has a total of 4,675 km of coastline. In Bahrain, that number is 161 km.
Safety
be 72.6% less likely to be murdered
Malaysia has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Bahrain, that number is 0.2 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 41.7% less likely to die in a road accident
In Malaysia, road accidents kill 13.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Bahrain, they kill 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 25.4% more home broadband
Malaysia has 13.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Bahrain has 17.0 as of 2024.
use 4.5 times more electricity
Malaysia uses 5,084 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Bahrain uses 23,120 kWh as of 2023.
live with 38.9 times more strain on fresh water
Malaysia withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Bahrain withdraws 134% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 2.9 times more CO2
Malaysia emits 8.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Bahrain emits 23.9 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Malaysia vs. Bahrain
Bahrain: At a glance
How big is Bahrain compared to Malaysia? See an in-depth size comparison.