Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United Kingdom instead of Malaysia, you would:
Health
live 4.6 years longer
In Malaysia, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In United Kingdom, that number is 81 years (80 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024.
see 4.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Malaysia spends $1,441 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United Kingdom spends $6,606 as of 2024.
have 41.0% more doctors per person
Malaysia has 23.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. United Kingdom has 33.0 as of 2023.
have 15.8% more access to essential health services
Malaysia scores 76 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. United Kingdom scores 88 as of 2021.
be 17.4% more likely to be obese
In Malaysia, 23.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United Kingdom, that number is 27.4% of people as of 2024.
be 69.0% more likely to die by suicide
Malaysia has a suicide rate of 5.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United Kingdom, it is 9.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 4.4 times more money
Malaysia has a GDP per capita of $13,125 as of 2025, while in United Kingdom, the GDP per capita is $57,602 as of 2025.
be 26.3% more likely to be unemployed
In Malaysia, 3.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United Kingdom, that number is 4.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 69.2% 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 Kingdom, 8.0 women do as of 2023.
be 41.4% 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 Kingdom, on the other hand, 4.1 children do as of 2024.
have 20.0% fewer children
In Malaysia, there are approximately 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United Kingdom, there are 9.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 68.4% more on education
Malaysia spends 3.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. United Kingdom spends 5.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 2.8 times more on healthcare
Malaysia spends 4.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In United Kingdom, that number is 11.1% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 2.7 times more coastline
Malaysia has a total of 4,675 km of coastline. In United Kingdom, that number is 12,429 km.
Safety
be 82.7% less likely to die in a road accident
In Malaysia, road accidents kill 13.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United Kingdom, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 53.4% more likely to be murdered
Malaysia has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In United Kingdom, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.1 times more home broadband
Malaysia has 13.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. United Kingdom has 42.2 as of 2024.
live with 4.2 times more strain on fresh water
Malaysia withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United Kingdom withdraws 14% as of 2022.
use 17.5% less electricity
Malaysia uses 5,084 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. United Kingdom uses 4,195 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 79.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Malaysia, air pollution causes 63.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United Kingdom, it causes 13.0 as of 2019.
emit 49.3% less CO2
Malaysia emits 8.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. United Kingdom emits 4.2 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 Kingdom
United Kingdom: At a glance
How big is United Kingdom compared to Malaysia? See an in-depth size comparison.