Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Pakistan instead of Malaysia, you would:
Health
live 9.0 years less
In Malaysia, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In Pakistan, that number is 68 years (65 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024.
see 89.4% less spent on your healthcare
Malaysia spends $1,441 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Pakistan spends $152 as of 2023.
have 50.4% fewer doctors per person
Malaysia has 23.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Pakistan has 11.6 as of 2021.
have 40.8% less access to essential health services
Malaysia scores 76 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Pakistan scores 45 as of 2021.
Economy
be 44.1% more likely to be unemployed
In Malaysia, 3.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Pakistan, that number is 5.4% as of 2025.
be 5.7 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Malaysia, 5.1% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Pakistan, however, that number is 28.9% as of 2024.
make 87.8% less money
Malaysia has a GDP per capita of $13,125 as of 2025, while in Pakistan, the GDP per capita is $1,596 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.2 times more children
In Malaysia, there are approximately 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Pakistan, there are 27.4 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 Pakistan, 155.0 women do as of 2023.
be 38.5% less likely to be literate
In Malaysia, the literacy rate is 95.8% as of 2022. In Pakistan, it is 58.9% as of 2021.
be 6.9 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 Pakistan, on the other hand, 48.2 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 41.6% less likely to have internet access
In Malaysia, approximately 98.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Pakistan, about 57.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 44.4% less on education
Malaysia spends 3.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Pakistan spends 1.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 36.4% less on healthcare
Malaysia spends 4.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Pakistan, that number is 2.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 77.6% less coastline
Malaysia has a total of 4,675 km of coastline. In Pakistan, that number is 1,046 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 Pakistan, they kill 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 5.9 times more likely to be murdered
Malaysia has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Pakistan, that number is 4.3 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 89.2% less home broadband
Malaysia has 13.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Pakistan has 1.5 as of 2024.
live with 32.0 times more strain on fresh water
Malaysia withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Pakistan withdraws 110% as of 2022.
use 89.8% less electricity
Malaysia uses 5,084 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Pakistan uses 518 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 90.3% less CO2
Malaysia emits 8.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Pakistan emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.
be 66.7% more likely to die from air pollution
In Malaysia, air pollution causes 63.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Pakistan, it causes 105.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Malaysia vs. Pakistan
Pakistan: At a glance
How big is Pakistan compared to Malaysia? See an in-depth size comparison.