Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Solomon Islands instead of Malaysia, you would:
Health
live 6.1 years less
In Malaysia, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In Solomon Islands, that number is 71 years (69 years for men, 72 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). Solomon Islands spends $153 as of 2023.
have 89.8% fewer doctors per person
Malaysia has 23.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Solomon Islands has 2.4 as of 2023.
have 38.2% less access to essential health services
Malaysia scores 76 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Solomon Islands scores 47 as of 2021.
be 3.5 times more likely to die by suicide
Malaysia has a suicide rate of 5.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Solomon Islands, it is 19.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 62.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Malaysia, 3.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Solomon Islands, that number is 1.4% as of 2025.
make 84.1% less money
Malaysia has a GDP per capita of $13,125 as of 2025, while in Solomon Islands, the GDP per capita is $2,086 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 Solomon Islands, there are 26.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 4.7 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 Solomon Islands, 123.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.3 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 Solomon Islands, on the other hand, 16.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 18.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Malaysia, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Solomon Islands, that number is 81% of people on average (81% in urban areas, and 81% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 70.4% less likely to have internet access
In Malaysia, approximately 98.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Solomon Islands, about 29.0% do as of 2024.
be 26.9% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Malaysia, approximately 98% of people have access to drinking water (99% in urban areas, and 95% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Solomon Islands, that number is 72% of people on average (91% in urban areas, and 65% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.4 times more on education
Malaysia spends 3.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Solomon Islands spends 8.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 35.4% more on healthcare
Malaysia spends 4.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Solomon Islands, that number is 5.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 13.6% more coastline
Malaysia has a total of 4,675 km of coastline. In Solomon Islands, that number is 5,313 km.
Safety
be 19.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Malaysia, road accidents kill 13.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Solomon Islands, they kill 11.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 99.2% less home broadband
Malaysia has 13.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Solomon Islands has 0.1 as of 2022.
Environment
emit 95.4% less CO2
Malaysia emits 8.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Solomon Islands emits 0.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Malaysia vs. Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands: At a glance
How big is Solomon Islands compared to Malaysia? See an in-depth size comparison.