Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Tuvalu instead of Malaysia, you would:
Health
see 15.9% more spent on your healthcare
Malaysia spends $1,441 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Tuvalu spends $1,671 as of 2023.
live 9.6 years less
In Malaysia, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In Tuvalu, that number is 67 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
be 2.8 times more likely to be obese
In Malaysia, 23.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Tuvalu, that number is 65.1% of people as of 2024.
have 42.5% fewer doctors per person
Malaysia has 23.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Tuvalu has 13.5 as of 2020.
have 31.6% less access to essential health services
Malaysia scores 76 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Tuvalu scores 52 as of 2021.
Economy
make 54.0% less money
Malaysia has a GDP per capita of $13,125 as of 2025, while in Tuvalu, the GDP per capita is $6,041 as of 2025.
Life
have 77.8% more children
In Malaysia, there are approximately 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Tuvalu, there are 22.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 6.5 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 Tuvalu, 170.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.4 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 Tuvalu, on the other hand, 16.5 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 17.2% less likely to have internet access
In Malaysia, approximately 98.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Tuvalu, about 81.2% do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 3.7 times more on education
Malaysia spends 3.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Tuvalu spends 12.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 6.8 times more on healthcare
Malaysia spends 4.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Tuvalu, that number is 27.1% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 99.5% less coastline
Malaysia has a total of 4,675 km of coastline. In Tuvalu, that number is 24 km.
Safety
be 28.8% more likely to die in a road accident
In Malaysia, road accidents kill 13.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Tuvalu, they kill 17.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 66.6% less home broadband
Malaysia has 13.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Tuvalu has 4.5 as of 2022.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Malaysia vs. Tuvalu
Tuvalu: At a glance
How big is Tuvalu compared to Malaysia? See an in-depth size comparison.