Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Eritrea instead of Malaysia, you would:
Health
be 81.4% less likely to be obese
In Malaysia, 23.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Eritrea, that number is 4.3% of people as of 2024.
live 7.9 years less
In Malaysia, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In Eritrea, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
see 94.0% less spent on your healthcare
Malaysia spends $1,441 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Eritrea spends $87 as of 2023.
have 96.2% fewer doctors per person
Malaysia has 23.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Eritrea has 0.9 as of 2022.
have 40.8% less access to essential health services
Malaysia scores 76 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Eritrea scores 45 as of 2021.
be 2.3 times more likely to die by suicide
Malaysia has a suicide rate of 5.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Eritrea, it is 13.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 59.0% more likely to be unemployed
In Malaysia, 3.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Eritrea, that number is 6.0% as of 2025.
Life
have 2.3 times more children
In Malaysia, there are approximately 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Eritrea, there are 28.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 11.2 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 Eritrea, 291.0 women do as of 2023.
be 3.5 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 Eritrea, on the other hand, 24.7 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 45.6% 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 Eritrea, that number is 54% of people on average (77% in urban areas, and 37% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 72.9% less likely to have internet access
In Malaysia, approximately 98.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Eritrea, about 26.6% do as of 2022.
Geography
see 52.2% less coastline
Malaysia has a total of 4,675 km of coastline. In Eritrea, that number is 2,234 km.
Safety
be 27.3% more likely to die in a road accident
In Malaysia, road accidents kill 13.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Eritrea, they kill 17.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 98.7% less home broadband
Malaysia has 13.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Eritrea has 0.2 as of 2022.
live with 3.2 times more strain on fresh water
Malaysia withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Eritrea withdraws 11% as of 2022.
use 97.6% less electricity
Malaysia uses 5,084 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Eritrea uses 123 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 97.4% less CO2
Malaysia emits 8.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Eritrea emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 23.8% more likely to die from air pollution
In Malaysia, air pollution causes 63.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Eritrea, it causes 78.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Malaysia vs. Eritrea
Eritrea: At a glance
How big is Eritrea compared to Malaysia? See an in-depth size comparison.