Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in New Caledonia instead of Malaysia, you would:

Health

live 2.1 years longer

In Malaysia, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In New Caledonia, that number is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.

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Economy

make 2.2 times more money

Malaysia has a GDP per capita of $13,125 as of 2025, while in New Caledonia, the GDP per capita is $29,213 as of 2024.

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be 3.0 times more likely to be unemployed

In Malaysia, 3.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In New Caledonia, that number is 11.2% as of 2025.

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Life

have 13.5% more children

In Malaysia, there are approximately 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In New Caledonia, there are 14.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 16.3% less likely to have internet access

In Malaysia, approximately 98.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In New Caledonia, about 82.0% do as of 2021.

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Geography

see 51.8% less coastline

Malaysia has a total of 4,675 km of coastline. In New Caledonia, that number is 2,254 km.

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Infrastructure

find 43.0% more home broadband

Malaysia has 13.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. New Caledonia has 19.4 as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 2.1 times more CO2

Malaysia emits 8.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. New Caledonia emits 17.1 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this

Compare further: Malaysia vs. New Caledonia

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
New Caledonia is 2.4 times more expensive than Malaysia overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Malaysia is about 18 times bigger than New Caledonia.
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Moving from Malaysia to New Caledonia · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
→

New Caledonia: At a glance

New Caledonia is a sovereign country in Australia-Oceania, with a total land area of approximately 18,275 sq km. Settled by both Britain and France during the first half of the 19th century, the island became a French possession in 1853. It served as a penal colony for four decades after 1864. Agitation for independence during the 1980s and early 1990s ended in the 1998 Noumea Accord, which over a period of 15 to 20 years will transfer an increasing amount of governing responsibility from France to New Caledonia. The agreement also commits France to conduct a referendum between 2014 and 2018 to decide whether New Caledonia should assume full sovereignty and independence.
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How big is New Caledonia compared to Malaysia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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