Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Guyana instead of Malaysia, you would:
Health
be 5.3 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Malaysia, 0.3% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Guyana, that number is 1.6% of people as of 2024.
live 6.5 years less
In Malaysia, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In Guyana, that number is 70 years (67 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
be 29.1% more likely to be obese
In Malaysia, 23.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Guyana, that number is 30.1% of people as of 2024.
have 40.8% fewer doctors per person
Malaysia has 23.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Guyana has 13.9 as of 2020.
be 4.4 times more likely to die by suicide
Malaysia has a suicide rate of 5.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Guyana, it is 24.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 2.5 times more money
Malaysia has a GDP per capita of $13,125 as of 2025, while in Guyana, the GDP per capita is $32,414 as of 2025.
be 3.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Malaysia, 3.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Guyana, that number is 12.0% as of 2025.
Life
have 60.8% more children
In Malaysia, there are approximately 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Guyana, there are 19.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.9 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 Guyana, 75.0 women do as of 2023.
be 3.3 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 Guyana, on the other hand, 23.2 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 15.3% less likely to have internet access
In Malaysia, approximately 98.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Guyana, about 83.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 37.6% less on healthcare
Malaysia spends 4.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Guyana, that number is 2.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 90.2% less coastline
Malaysia has a total of 4,675 km of coastline. In Guyana, that number is 459 km.
Safety
be 26.2 times more likely to be murdered
Malaysia has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Guyana, that number is 19.1 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Environment
be 17.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Malaysia, air pollution causes 63.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Guyana, it causes 52.0 as of 2019.
emit 45.2% less CO2
Malaysia emits 8.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Guyana emits 4.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2019). How we calculate this
Compare further: Malaysia vs. Guyana
Guyana: At a glance
How big is Guyana compared to Malaysia? See an in-depth size comparison.