Quality of life comparison
If you lived in India instead of Malaysia, you would:
Health
be 65.7% less likely to be obese
In Malaysia, 23.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In India, that number is 8.0% of people as of 2024.
live 4.6 years less
In Malaysia, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In India, that number is 72 years (71 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
see 76.0% less spent on your healthcare
Malaysia spends $1,441 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). India spends $346 as of 2023.
have 69.1% fewer doctors per person
Malaysia has 23.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. India has 7.2 as of 2020.
have 17.1% less access to essential health services
Malaysia scores 76 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. India scores 63 as of 2021.
be 2.2 times more likely to die by suicide
Malaysia has a suicide rate of 5.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In India, it is 12.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 12.2% more likely to be unemployed
In Malaysia, 3.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In India, that number is 4.2% as of 2025.
make 79.4% less money
Malaysia has a GDP per capita of $13,125 as of 2025, while in India, the GDP per capita is $2,702 as of 2025.
Life
have 29.3% more children
In Malaysia, there are approximately 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In India, there are 16.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.1 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 India, 80.0 women do as of 2023.
be 18.4% less likely to be literate
In Malaysia, the literacy rate is 95.8% as of 2022. In India, it is 78.2% as of 2024.
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 India, on the other hand, 23.3 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 28.6% less likely to have internet access
In Malaysia, approximately 98.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In India, about 70.0% do as of 2025.
Expenditures
spend 15.7% less on healthcare
Malaysia spends 4.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In India, that number is 3.3% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 16.8% more on education
Malaysia spends 3.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. India spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 49.7% more coastline
Malaysia has a total of 4,675 km of coastline. In India, that number is 7,000 km.
Safety
be 3.9 times more likely to be murdered
Malaysia has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In India, that number is 2.8 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 10.8% more likely to die in a road accident
In Malaysia, road accidents kill 13.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In India, they kill 15.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 76.8% less home broadband
Malaysia has 13.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. India has 3.1 as of 2024.
live with 19.3 times more strain on fresh water
Malaysia withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. India withdraws 66% as of 2022.
use 76.8% less electricity
Malaysia uses 5,084 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. India uses 1,182 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 73.9% less CO2
Malaysia emits 8.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. India emits 2.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 31.7% more likely to die from air pollution
In Malaysia, air pollution causes 63.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In India, it causes 83.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Malaysia vs. India
India: At a glance
How big is India compared to Malaysia? See an in-depth size comparison.