If you lived in Cook Islands instead of Malaysia, you would:

Health

be 3.1 times more likely to be obese

In Malaysia, 23.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Cook Islands, that number is 72.4% of people as of 2024.

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have 39.5% less access to essential health services

Malaysia scores 76 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Cook Islands scores 46 as of 2021.

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Life

be 2.3 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 Cook Islands, on the other hand, 15.9 children do as of 2022.

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Basic Needs

be 33.9% less likely to have internet access

In Malaysia, approximately 98.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Cook Islands, about 64.8% do as of 2021.

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Expenditures

spend 19.2% less on healthcare

Malaysia spends 4.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Cook Islands, that number is 3.2% of GDP as of 2020.

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spend 31.1% more on education

Malaysia spends 3.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Cook Islands spends 4.6% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

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Geography

see 97.4% less coastline

Malaysia has a total of 4,675 km of coastline. In Cook Islands, that number is 120 km.

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Safety

be 26.6% more likely to die in a road accident

In Malaysia, road accidents kill 13.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Cook Islands, they kill 17.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 34.5% more home broadband

Malaysia has 13.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Cook Islands has 18.2 as of 2022.

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Sources: The World Factbook (2020–2022), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021–2022), World Bank (2023–2024), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Cook Islands: At a glance

Cook Islands is a sovereign country in Australia-Oceania, with a total land area of approximately 236 sq km. Named after Captain COOK, who sighted them in 1770, the islands became a British protectorate in 1888. By 1900, administrative control was transferred to New Zealand; in 1965, residents chose self-government in free association with New Zealand. The emigration of skilled workers to New Zealand and government deficits are continuing problems.
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How big is Cook Islands compared to Malaysia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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