Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United Arab Emirates instead of Malaysia, you would:
Health
live 6.2 years longer
In Malaysia, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 83 years (82 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
see 2.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Malaysia spends $1,441 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 as of 2023.
have 27.8% more doctors per person
Malaysia has 23.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. United Arab Emirates has 29.9 as of 2023.
be 69.7% less likely to die by suicide
Malaysia has a suicide rate of 5.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 35.5% more likely to be obese
In Malaysia, 23.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 31.6% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 42.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Malaysia, 3.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 2.2% as of 2025.
make 3.8 times more money
Malaysia has a GDP per capita of $13,125 as of 2025, while in United Arab Emirates, the GDP per capita is $50,274 as of 2024.
Life
be 88.5% 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 United Arab Emirates, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 45.7% less 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 United Arab Emirates, on the other hand, 3.8 children do as of 2024.
have 20.6% fewer children
In Malaysia, there are approximately 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, there are 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 10.8% more on education
Malaysia spends 3.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 25.5% more on healthcare
Malaysia spends 4.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 5.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 71.8% less coastline
Malaysia has a total of 4,675 km of coastline. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 1,318 km.
Safety
be 57.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In Malaysia, road accidents kill 13.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, they kill 5.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.0 times more home broadband
Malaysia has 13.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. United Arab Emirates has 40.8 as of 2024.
use 3.0 times more electricity
Malaysia uses 5,084 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. United Arab Emirates uses 15,285 kWh as of 2023.
live with 438.9 times more strain on fresh water
Malaysia withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% as of 2022.
Environment
be 11.1% more likely to die from air pollution
In Malaysia, air pollution causes 63.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United Arab Emirates, it causes 70.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.2 times more CO2
Malaysia emits 8.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. United Arab Emirates emits 18.3 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. United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: At a glance
How big is United Arab Emirates compared to Malaysia? See an in-depth size comparison.