If you lived in Equatorial Guinea instead of Malaysia, you would:

Health

be 17.7% less likely to be obese

In Malaysia, 23.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 19.2% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live 12.9 years less

In Malaysia, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 57.7% less spent on your healthcare

Malaysia spends $1,441 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Equatorial Guinea spends $609 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 93.5% fewer doctors per person

Malaysia has 23.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Equatorial Guinea has 1.5 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

have 39.5% less access to essential health services

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

View global rankings →

be 24.4% more likely to die by suicide

Malaysia has a suicide rate of 5.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Equatorial Guinea, it is 7.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 2.2 times more likely to be unemployed

In Malaysia, 3.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 8.3% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

be 9.9 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Malaysia, 5.1% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Equatorial Guinea, however, that number is 50.7% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

make 49.6% less money

Malaysia has a GDP per capita of $13,125 as of 2025, while in Equatorial Guinea, the GDP per capita is $6,615 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

have 2.4 times more children

In Malaysia, there are approximately 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Equatorial Guinea, there are 30.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 6.7 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 Equatorial Guinea, 174.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 6.8 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 Equatorial Guinea, on the other hand, 47.6 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 33.1% 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 Equatorial Guinea, that number is 67% of people on average (89% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 35.4% less likely to have internet access

In Malaysia, approximately 98.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Equatorial Guinea, about 63.3% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 11.6% less on healthcare

Malaysia spends 4.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 3.5% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 93.7% less coastline

Malaysia has a total of 4,675 km of coastline. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 296 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 15.8% less likely to die in a road accident

In Malaysia, road accidents kill 13.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Equatorial Guinea, they kill 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

live with 94.8% less strain on fresh water

Malaysia withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Equatorial Guinea withdraws 0% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

find 99.3% less home broadband

Malaysia has 13.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Equatorial Guinea has 0.1 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

use 84.4% less electricity

Malaysia uses 5,084 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Equatorial Guinea uses 792 kWh as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Environment

emit 69.4% less CO2

Malaysia emits 8.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Equatorial Guinea emits 2.5 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Equatorial Guinea: At a glance

Equatorial Guinea is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 28,051 sq km. Equatorial Guinea gained independence in 1968 after 190 years of Spanish rule. This tiny country, composed of a mainland portion plus five inhabited islands, is one of the smallest on the African continent. President Teodoro Obiang NGUEMA MBASOGO has ruled the country since 1979 when he seized power in a coup. Although nominally a constitutional democracy since 1991, the 1996, 2002, and 2009 presidential elections - as well as the 1999, 2004, 2008, and 2013 legislative elections - were widely seen as flawed. The president exerts almost total control over the political system and has discouraged political opposition. Equatorial Guinea has experienced rapid economic growth due to the discovery of large offshore oil reserves, and in the last decade has become Sub-Saharan Africa's third largest oil exporter. Despite the country's economic windfall from oil production, resulting in a massive increase in government revenue in recent years, improvements in the population's living standards have been slow to develop.
Read more

How big is Equatorial Guinea compared to Malaysia? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Equatorial Guinea or Malaysia. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.