Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Kazakhstan instead of Malaysia, you would:

Health

have 60.4% more doctors per person

Malaysia has 23.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Kazakhstan has 37.5 as of 2023.

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live 2.3 years less

In Malaysia, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In Kazakhstan, that number is 75 years (70 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 2.6 times more likely to die by suicide

Malaysia has a suicide rate of 5.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Kazakhstan, it is 14.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

make 11.9% more money

Malaysia has a GDP per capita of $13,125 as of 2025, while in Kazakhstan, the GDP per capita is $14,692 as of 2025.

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be 26.9% more likely to be unemployed

In Malaysia, 3.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Kazakhstan, that number is 4.8% as of 2025.

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Life

be 61.5% less 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 Kazakhstan, 10.0 women do as of 2023.

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have 57.9% more children

In Malaysia, there are approximately 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Kazakhstan, there are 19.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 38.5% more on education

Malaysia spends 3.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Kazakhstan spends 4.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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Safety

be 12.2% less likely to die in a road accident

In Malaysia, road accidents kill 13.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Kazakhstan, they kill 12.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 3.5 times more likely to be murdered

Malaysia has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Kazakhstan, that number is 2.5 per 100,000 as of 2022.

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Infrastructure

find 13.1% more home broadband

Malaysia has 13.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Kazakhstan has 15.3 as of 2024.

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live with 10.1 times more strain on fresh water

Malaysia withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Kazakhstan withdraws 35% as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 51.1% more CO2

Malaysia emits 8.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Kazakhstan emits 12.6 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this

Compare further: Malaysia vs. Kazakhstan

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Kazakhstan is 3.3% more expensive than Malaysia overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
Malaysia is about 8 times smaller than Kazakhstan.
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Moving from Malaysia to Kazakhstan · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
→

Kazakhstan: At a glance

Kazakhstan is a sovereign country in Central Asia, with a total land area of approximately 2,699,700 sq km. Ethnic Kazakhs, a mix of Turkic and Mongol nomadic tribes who migrated to the region by the 13th century, were rarely united as a single nation. The area was conquered by Russia in the 18th century, and Kazakhstan became a Soviet Republic in 1936. During the 1950s and 1960s agricultural "Virgin Lands" program, Soviet citizens were encouraged to help cultivate Kazakhstan's northern pastures. This influx of immigrants (mostly Russians, but also some other deported nationalities) skewed the ethnic mixture and enabled non-ethnic Kazakhs to outnumber natives. Non-Muslim ethnic minorities departed Kazakhstan in large numbers from the mid-1990s through the mid-2000s and a national program has repatriated about a million ethnic Kazakhs back to Kazakhstan. These trends have allowed Kazakhs to become the titular majority again. This dramatic demographic shift has also undermined the previous religious diversity and made the country more than 70 percent Muslim. Kazakhstan's economy is larger than those of all the other Central Asian states largely due to the country's vast natural resources. Current issues include: developing a cohesive national identity; managing Islamic revivalism; expanding the development of the country's vast energy resources and exporting them to world markets; diversifying the economy outside the oil, gas, and mining sectors; enhancing Kazakhstan's economic competitiveness; developing a multiparty parliament and advancing political and social reform; and strengthening relations with neighboring states and other foreign powers.
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How big is Kazakhstan compared to Malaysia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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