Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Thailand instead of Malaysia, you would:
Health
be 29.9% less likely to be obese
In Malaysia, 23.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Thailand, that number is 16.4% of people as of 2024.
see 26.0% less spent on your healthcare
Malaysia spends $1,441 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Thailand spends $1,067 as of 2023.
have 76.9% fewer doctors per person
Malaysia has 23.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Thailand has 5.4 as of 2021.
be 2.9 times more likely to die by suicide
Malaysia has a suicide rate of 5.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Thailand, it is 16.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 79.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Malaysia, 3.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Thailand, that number is 0.8% as of 2025.
make 38.6% less money
Malaysia has a GDP per capita of $13,125 as of 2025, while in Thailand, the GDP per capita is $8,057 as of 2025.
Life
be 30.8% 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 Thailand, 34.0 women do as of 2023.
be 10.0% 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 Thailand, on the other hand, 7.7 children do as of 2024.
have 34.3% fewer children
In Malaysia, there are approximately 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Thailand, there are 8.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 28.2% less on education
Malaysia spends 3.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Thailand spends 2.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 14.6% more on healthcare
Malaysia spends 4.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Thailand, that number is 4.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 31.1% less coastline
Malaysia has a total of 4,675 km of coastline. In Thailand, that number is 3,219 km.
Safety
be 26.0% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Malaysia, 90% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2021. In Thailand, that number is 67% as of 2022.
be 82.7% more likely to die in a road accident
In Malaysia, road accidents kill 13.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Thailand, they kill 25.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 6.7 times more strain on fresh water
Malaysia withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Thailand withdraws 23% as of 2022.
use 41.7% less electricity
Malaysia uses 5,084 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Thailand uses 2,965 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 54.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Malaysia, air pollution causes 63.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Thailand, it causes 29.0 as of 2019.
emit 52.4% less CO2
Malaysia emits 8.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Thailand emits 4.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Malaysia vs. Thailand
Thailand: At a glance
How big is Thailand compared to Malaysia? See an in-depth size comparison.