Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burma instead of Malaysia, you would:
Health
be 65.2% less likely to be obese
In Malaysia, 23.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burma, that number is 8.1% of people as of 2024.
be 48.8% less likely to die by suicide
Malaysia has a suicide rate of 5.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burma, it is 2.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 9.7 years less
In Malaysia, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In Burma, that number is 67 years (64 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024.
see 80.4% less spent on your healthcare
Malaysia spends $1,441 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burma spends $283 as of 2023.
have 31.6% less access to essential health services
Malaysia scores 76 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burma scores 52 as of 2021.
Economy
be 18.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Malaysia, 3.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burma, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.
make 88.7% less money
Malaysia has a GDP per capita of $13,125 as of 2025, while in Burma, the GDP per capita is $1,489 as of 2025.
Life
have 33.2% more children
In Malaysia, there are approximately 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burma, there are 16.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 7.1 times more 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 Burma, 185.0 women do as of 2023.
be 4.7 times more 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 Burma, on the other hand, 32.8 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 23.2% less likely to have access to electricity
In Malaysia, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Burma, that number is 77% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 69% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 55.1% less likely to have internet access
In Malaysia, approximately 98.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burma, about 44.0% do as of 2021.
be 12.5% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Malaysia, approximately 98% of people have access to drinking water (99% in urban areas, and 95% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Burma, that number is 86% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 81% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 12.6% more on healthcare
Malaysia spends 4.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Burma, that number is 4.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 58.7% less coastline
Malaysia has a total of 4,675 km of coastline. In Burma, that number is 1,930 km.
Safety
be 3.5 times more likely to be murdered
Malaysia has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Burma, that number is 2.6 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 38.8% more likely to die in a road accident
In Malaysia, road accidents kill 13.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burma, they kill 19.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 78.8% less home broadband
Malaysia has 13.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Burma has 2.9 as of 2024.
live with 68.6% more strain on fresh water
Malaysia withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burma withdraws 6% as of 2022.
use 92.8% less electricity
Malaysia uses 5,084 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Burma uses 368 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 93.0% less CO2
Malaysia emits 8.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burma emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 12.7% more likely to die from air pollution
In Malaysia, air pollution causes 63.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Burma, it causes 71.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Malaysia vs. Burma
Burma: At a glance
How big is Burma compared to Malaysia? See an in-depth size comparison.