Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Marshall Islands instead of Malaysia, you would:
Health
live 9.7 years less
In Malaysia, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In Marshall Islands, that number is 67 years (65 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2024.
be 79.9% more likely to be obese
In Malaysia, 23.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Marshall Islands, that number is 42.0% of people as of 2024.
see 39.3% less spent on your healthcare
Malaysia spends $1,441 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Marshall Islands spends $874 as of 2023.
have 22.4% less access to essential health services
Malaysia scores 76 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Marshall Islands scores 59 as of 2021.
Economy
make 35.3% less money
Malaysia has a GDP per capita of $13,125 as of 2025, while in Marshall Islands, the GDP per capita is $8,489 as of 2025.
Life
have 62.5% more children
In Malaysia, there are approximately 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Marshall Islands, there are 20.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 6.0 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 Marshall Islands, 155.0 women do as of 2023.
be 3.2 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 Marshall Islands, on the other hand, 22.7 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 32.7% less likely to have internet access
In Malaysia, approximately 98.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Marshall Islands, about 65.9% do as of 2024.
be 10.7% 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 Marshall Islands, that number is 87% of people on average (86% in urban areas, and 94% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.2 times more on education
Malaysia spends 3.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Marshall Islands spends 7.7% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 3.4 times more on healthcare
Malaysia spends 4.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Marshall Islands, that number is 13.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 92.1% less coastline
Malaysia has a total of 4,675 km of coastline. In Marshall Islands, that number is 370 km.
Safety
be 14.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Malaysia, road accidents kill 13.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Marshall Islands, they kill 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 82.7% less home broadband
Malaysia has 13.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Marshall Islands has 2.4 as of 2022.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Malaysia vs. Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands: At a glance
How big is Marshall Islands compared to Malaysia? See an in-depth size comparison.