Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Syria instead of Malaysia, you would:
Health
be 89.6% less likely to die by suicide
Malaysia has a suicide rate of 5.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Syria, it is 0.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 4.3 years less
In Malaysia, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In Syria, that number is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024.
be 41.4% more likely to be obese
In Malaysia, 23.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Syria, that number is 33.0% of people as of 2024.
see 91.5% less spent on your healthcare
Malaysia spends $1,441 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Syria spends $122 as of 2023.
have 35.0% fewer doctors per person
Malaysia has 23.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Syria has 15.2 as of 2021.
have 15.8% less access to essential health services
Malaysia scores 76 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Syria scores 64 as of 2021.
Economy
be 3.6 times more likely to be unemployed
In Malaysia, 3.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Syria, that number is 13.6% as of 2025.
make 91.9% less money
Malaysia has a GDP per capita of $13,125 as of 2025, while in Syria, the GDP per capita is $1,057 as of 2022.
Life
be 23.1% 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 Syria, 20.0 women do as of 2023.
have 87.4% more children
In Malaysia, there are approximately 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Syria, there are 23.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.5 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 Syria, on the other hand, 17.7 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 11.6% 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 Syria, that number is 88% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 73% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 52.5% less likely to have internet access
In Malaysia, approximately 98.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Syria, about 46.6% do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 31.6% less on healthcare
Malaysia spends 4.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Syria, that number is 2.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 95.9% less coastline
Malaysia has a total of 4,675 km of coastline. In Syria, that number is 193 km.
Safety
be 2.2 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Malaysia, road accidents kill 13.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Syria, they kill 29.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 49.4% less home broadband
Malaysia has 13.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Syria has 6.9 as of 2023.
live with 36.2 times more strain on fresh water
Malaysia withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Syria withdraws 124% as of 2022.
use 83.2% less electricity
Malaysia uses 5,084 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Syria uses 854 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 84.7% less CO2
Malaysia emits 8.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Syria emits 1.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 31.7% more likely to die from air pollution
In Malaysia, air pollution causes 63.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Syria, it causes 83.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Malaysia vs. Syria
Syria: At a glance
How big is Syria compared to Malaysia? See an in-depth size comparison.