Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Maldives instead of Malaysia, you would:
Health
live 4.5 years longer
In Malaysia, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In Maldives, that number is 81 years (80 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024.
be 23.4% less likely to be obese
In Malaysia, 23.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Maldives, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
see 58.8% more spent on your healthcare
Malaysia spends $1,441 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Maldives spends $2,288 as of 2023.
be 74.0% less likely to die by suicide
Malaysia has a suicide rate of 5.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Maldives, it is 1.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
have 19.7% less access to essential health services
Malaysia scores 76 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Maldives scores 61 as of 2021.
Economy
make 11.4% more money
Malaysia has a GDP per capita of $13,125 as of 2025, while in Maldives, the GDP per capita is $14,615 as of 2025.
be 19.9% more likely to be unemployed
In Malaysia, 3.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Maldives, that number is 4.5% as of 2025.
Life
be 32.9% less 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 Maldives, on the other hand, 4.7 children do as of 2024.
be 23.1% 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 Maldives, 32.0 women do as of 2023.
have 14.3% fewer children
In Malaysia, there are approximately 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Maldives, there are 10.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 13.0% less likely to have internet access
In Malaysia, approximately 98.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Maldives, about 85.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 47.3% more on education
Malaysia spends 3.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Maldives spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.3 times more on healthcare
Malaysia spends 4.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Maldives, that number is 9.2% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 86.2% less coastline
Malaysia has a total of 4,675 km of coastline. In Maldives, that number is 644 km.
Safety
be 90.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In Malaysia, road accidents kill 13.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Maldives, they kill 1.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 45.0% more home broadband
Malaysia has 13.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Maldives has 19.6 as of 2024.
live with 4.6 times more strain on fresh water
Malaysia withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Maldives withdraws 16% as of 2022.
Environment
be 54.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Malaysia, air pollution causes 63.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Maldives, it causes 29.0 as of 2019.
emit 57.1% less CO2
Malaysia emits 8.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Maldives emits 3.6 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. Maldives
Maldives: At a glance
How big is Maldives compared to Malaysia? See an in-depth size comparison.