Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Netherlands instead of Malaysia, you would:
Health
live 5.2 years longer
In Malaysia, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In Netherlands, that number is 82 years (81 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024.
be 37.0% less likely to be obese
In Malaysia, 23.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Netherlands, that number is 14.7% of people as of 2024.
see 5.7 times more spent on your healthcare
Malaysia spends $1,441 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Netherlands spends $8,195 as of 2024.
have 65.6% more doctors per person
Malaysia has 23.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Netherlands has 38.8 as of 2022.
have 11.8% more access to essential health services
Malaysia scores 76 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Netherlands scores 85 as of 2021.
be 2.0 times more likely to die by suicide
Malaysia has a suicide rate of 5.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Netherlands, it is 11.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 5.6 times more money
Malaysia has a GDP per capita of $13,125 as of 2025, while in Netherlands, the GDP per capita is $73,684 as of 2025.
be 2.8 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Malaysia, 5.1% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Netherlands, however, that number is 14.5% as of 2021.
Life
be 84.6% less 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 Netherlands, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
be 51.4% 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 Netherlands, on the other hand, 3.4 children do as of 2024.
have 25.6% fewer children
In Malaysia, there are approximately 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Netherlands, there are 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 47.6% more on education
Malaysia spends 3.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Netherlands spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 2.5 times more on healthcare
Malaysia spends 4.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Netherlands, that number is 10.0% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 90.4% less coastline
Malaysia has a total of 4,675 km of coastline. In Netherlands, that number is 451 km.
Safety
be 75.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Malaysia, road accidents kill 13.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Netherlands, they kill 3.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.2 times more home broadband
Malaysia has 13.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Netherlands has 43.0 as of 2024.
use 25.6% more electricity
Malaysia uses 5,084 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Netherlands uses 6,386 kWh as of 2024.
live with 4.8 times more strain on fresh water
Malaysia withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Netherlands withdraws 17% as of 2022.
Environment
be 79.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Malaysia, air pollution causes 63.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Netherlands, it causes 13.0 as of 2019.
emit 20.7% less CO2
Malaysia emits 8.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Netherlands emits 6.6 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. Netherlands
Netherlands: At a glance
How big is Netherlands compared to Malaysia? See an in-depth size comparison.