Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Mexico instead of Malaysia, you would:
Health
have 10.6% more doctors per person
Malaysia has 23.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Mexico has 25.9 as of 2022.
live 1.6 years less
In Malaysia, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In Mexico, that number is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024.
be 60.1% more likely to be obese
In Malaysia, 23.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Mexico, that number is 37.4% of people as of 2024.
be 23.0% more likely to die by suicide
Malaysia has a suicide rate of 5.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mexico, it is 7.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 29.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Malaysia, 3.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Mexico, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
be 5.8 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Malaysia, 5.1% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Mexico, however, that number is 29.6% as of 2024.
Life
have 25.1% more children
In Malaysia, there are approximately 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Mexico, there are 15.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 61.5% 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 Mexico, 42.0 women do as of 2023.
be 72.9% 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 Mexico, on the other hand, 12.1 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 15.2% less likely to have internet access
In Malaysia, approximately 98.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Mexico, about 83.1% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 15.7% more on education
Malaysia spends 3.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Mexico spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 38.9% more on healthcare
Malaysia spends 4.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Mexico, that number is 5.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 99.6% more coastline
Malaysia has a total of 4,675 km of coastline. In Mexico, that number is 9,330 km.
Safety
be 13.7% less likely to die in a road accident
In Malaysia, road accidents kill 13.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Mexico, they kill 12.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 34.1 times more likely to be murdered
Malaysia has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Mexico, that number is 24.9 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 57.4% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Malaysia, 90% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2021. In Mexico, that number is 39% as of 2022.
Infrastructure
find 60.4% more home broadband
Malaysia has 13.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Mexico has 21.7 as of 2024.
live with 13.1 times more strain on fresh water
Malaysia withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Mexico withdraws 45% as of 2022.
use 47.7% less electricity
Malaysia uses 5,084 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Mexico uses 2,658 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 52.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Malaysia, air pollution causes 63.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Mexico, it causes 30.0 as of 2019.
emit 56.2% less CO2
Malaysia emits 8.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Mexico emits 3.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Malaysia vs. Mexico
Mexico: At a glance
How big is Mexico compared to Malaysia? See an in-depth size comparison.