Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Tonga instead of Malaysia, you would:
Health
be 16.3% less likely to die by suicide
Malaysia has a suicide rate of 5.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Tonga, it is 4.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 3.8 years less
In Malaysia, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In Tonga, that number is 73 years (70 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024.
be 3.2 times more likely to be obese
In Malaysia, 23.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Tonga, that number is 73.8% of people as of 2024.
see 64.5% less spent on your healthcare
Malaysia spends $1,441 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Tonga spends $512 as of 2023.
have 56.7% fewer doctors per person
Malaysia has 23.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Tonga has 10.1 as of 2021.
have 25.0% less access to essential health services
Malaysia scores 76 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Tonga scores 57 as of 2021.
Economy
be 46.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Malaysia, 3.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Tonga, that number is 2.0% as of 2025.
be 4.0 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Malaysia, 5.1% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Tonga, however, that number is 20.6% as of 2021.
make 50.1% less money
Malaysia has a GDP per capita of $13,125 as of 2025, while in Tonga, the GDP per capita is $6,547 as of 2025.
Life
have 86.4% more children
In Malaysia, there are approximately 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Tonga, there are 23.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.6 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 Tonga, 67.0 women do as of 2023.
be 11.4% 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 Tonga, on the other hand, 7.8 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 31.2% less likely to have internet access
In Malaysia, approximately 98.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Tonga, about 67.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 51.3% more on education
Malaysia spends 3.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Tonga spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 85.9% more on healthcare
Malaysia spends 4.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Tonga, that number is 7.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 91.0% less coastline
Malaysia has a total of 4,675 km of coastline. In Tonga, that number is 419 km.
Safety
be 38.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Malaysia, road accidents kill 13.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Tonga, they kill 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 39.7% less home broadband
Malaysia has 13.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Tonga has 8.2 as of 2022.
Environment
be 61.9% less likely to die from air pollution
In Malaysia, air pollution causes 63.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Tonga, it causes 24.0 as of 2019.
emit 80.4% less CO2
Malaysia emits 8.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Tonga emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Malaysia vs. Tonga
Tonga: At a glance
How big is Tonga compared to Malaysia? See an in-depth size comparison.