Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Ecuador instead of Malaysia, you would:
Health
be 24.0% more likely to be obese
In Malaysia, 23.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Ecuador, that number is 28.9% of people as of 2024.
see 14.1% less spent on your healthcare
Malaysia spends $1,441 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Ecuador spends $1,238 as of 2023.
be 33.8% more likely to die by suicide
Malaysia has a suicide rate of 5.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Ecuador, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 12.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Malaysia, 3.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Ecuador, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
be 4.2 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Malaysia, 5.1% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Ecuador, however, that number is 21.4% as of 2025.
make 45.7% less money
Malaysia has a GDP per capita of $13,125 as of 2025, while in Ecuador, the GDP per capita is $7,125 as of 2025.
Life
have 19.9% more children
In Malaysia, there are approximately 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Ecuador, there are 14.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.1 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 Ecuador, 55.0 women do as of 2023.
be 55.7% 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 Ecuador, on the other hand, 10.9 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 21.3% less likely to have internet access
In Malaysia, approximately 98.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Ecuador, about 77.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 90.9% more on healthcare
Malaysia spends 4.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Ecuador, that number is 7.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 52.1% less coastline
Malaysia has a total of 4,675 km of coastline. In Ecuador, that number is 2,237 km.
Safety
be 62.6 times more likely to be murdered
Malaysia has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Ecuador, that number is 45.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 68.3% more likely to die in a road accident
In Malaysia, road accidents kill 13.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Ecuador, they kill 23.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 27.3% more home broadband
Malaysia has 13.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Ecuador has 17.2 as of 2024.
live with 97.1% more strain on fresh water
Malaysia withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Ecuador withdraws 7% as of 2022.
use 67.0% less electricity
Malaysia uses 5,084 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Ecuador uses 1,676 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 63.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Malaysia, air pollution causes 63.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Ecuador, it causes 23.0 as of 2019.
emit 68.3% less CO2
Malaysia emits 8.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Ecuador emits 2.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Malaysia vs. Ecuador
Ecuador: At a glance
How big is Ecuador compared to Malaysia? See an in-depth size comparison.