Quality of life comparison
If you lived in China instead of Malaysia, you would:
Health
live 1.2 years longer
In Malaysia, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In China, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
be 60.2% less likely to be obese
In Malaysia, 23.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In China, that number is 9.3% of people as of 2024.
have 32.9% more doctors per person
Malaysia has 23.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. China has 31.1 as of 2022.
be 58.4% more likely to die by suicide
Malaysia has a suicide rate of 5.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In China, it is 8.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 22.9% more likely to be unemployed
In Malaysia, 3.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In China, that number is 4.6% as of 2025.
Life
be 38.5% 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 China, 16.0 women do as of 2023.
be 41.4% 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 China, on the other hand, 4.1 children do as of 2024.
have 45.2% fewer children
In Malaysia, there are approximately 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In China, there are 6.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 11.1% more on education
Malaysia spends 3.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. China spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 50.0% more on healthcare
Malaysia spends 4.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In China, that number is 5.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 3.1 times more coastline
Malaysia has a total of 4,675 km of coastline. In China, that number is 14,500 km.
Safety
be 31.5% less likely to be murdered
Malaysia has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In China, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 25.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In Malaysia, road accidents kill 13.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In China, they kill 17.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.5 times more home broadband
Malaysia has 13.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. China has 47.2 as of 2024.
use 28.3% more electricity
Malaysia uses 5,084 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. China uses 6,524 kWh as of 2023.
live with 12.1 times more strain on fresh water
Malaysia withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. China withdraws 42% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 12.0% more CO2
Malaysia emits 8.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. China emits 9.3 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. China
China: At a glance
How big is China compared to Malaysia? See an in-depth size comparison.