Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Kiribati instead of Malaysia, you would:
Health
live 10.2 years less
In Malaysia, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In Kiribati, that number is 67 years (65 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.
be 95.4% more likely to be obese
In Malaysia, 23.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Kiribati, that number is 45.6% of people as of 2024.
see 72.2% less spent on your healthcare
Malaysia spends $1,441 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Kiribati spends $401 as of 2023.
have 36.8% less access to essential health services
Malaysia scores 76 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Kiribati scores 48 as of 2021.
be 3.1 times more likely to die by suicide
Malaysia has a suicide rate of 5.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Kiribati, it is 17.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 80.5% less money
Malaysia has a GDP per capita of $13,125 as of 2025, while in Kiribati, the GDP per capita is $2,559 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.0 times more children
In Malaysia, there are approximately 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Kiribati, there are 25.3 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 Kiribati, 80.0 women do as of 2023.
be 5.5 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 Kiribati, on the other hand, 38.8 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 19.3% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Malaysia, approximately 98% of people have access to drinking water (99% in urban areas, and 95% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Kiribati, that number is 79% of people on average (90% in urban areas, and 64% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 4.7 times more on education
Malaysia spends 3.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Kiribati spends 16.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.8 times more on healthcare
Malaysia spends 4.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Kiribati, that number is 10.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 75.6% less coastline
Malaysia has a total of 4,675 km of coastline. In Kiribati, that number is 1,143 km.
Safety
be 55.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Malaysia, road accidents kill 13.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Kiribati, they kill 6.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 99.8% less home broadband
Malaysia has 13.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Kiribati has 0.0 as of 2024.
Environment
be 22.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Malaysia, air pollution causes 63.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Kiribati, it causes 49.0 as of 2019.
emit 92.9% less CO2
Malaysia emits 8.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Kiribati emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Malaysia vs. Kiribati
Kiribati: At a glance
How big is Kiribati compared to Malaysia? See an in-depth size comparison.