Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Nauru instead of Malaysia, you would:
Health
see 71.7% more spent on your healthcare
Malaysia spends $1,441 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Nauru spends $2,474 as of 2023.
live 14.5 years less
In Malaysia, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In Nauru, that number is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024.
be 3.1 times more likely to be obese
In Malaysia, 23.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Nauru, that number is 71.4% of people as of 2024.
have 21.1% less access to essential health services
Malaysia scores 76 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Nauru scores 60 as of 2021.
Economy
make 11.5% more money
Malaysia has a GDP per capita of $13,125 as of 2025, while in Nauru, the GDP per capita is $14,640 as of 2025.
Life
have 98.7% more children
In Malaysia, there are approximately 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Nauru, there are 24.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 10.5 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 Nauru, 273.0 women do as of 2023.
be 10.0% 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 Nauru, on the other hand, 7.7 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 15.3% less likely to have internet access
In Malaysia, approximately 98.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Nauru, about 83.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 64.7% more on education
Malaysia spends 3.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Nauru spends 5.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 4.6 times more on healthcare
Malaysia spends 4.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Nauru, that number is 18.2% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 99.4% less coastline
Malaysia has a total of 4,675 km of coastline. In Nauru, that number is 30 km.
Safety
be 42.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Malaysia, road accidents kill 13.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Nauru, they kill 8.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 26.5% less home broadband
Malaysia has 13.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Nauru has 10.0 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. Nauru
Nauru: At a glance
How big is Nauru compared to Malaysia? See an in-depth size comparison.