Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Brunei instead of Maldives, you would:
Health
have 27.9% more access to essential health services
Maldives scores 61 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Brunei scores 78 as of 2021.
live 5.8 years less
In Maldives, the average life expectancy is 81 years (80 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024. In Brunei, that number is 76 years (73 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024.
be 2.1 times more likely to be obese
In Maldives, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Brunei, that number is 37.0% of people as of 2024.
see 17.1% less spent on your healthcare
Maldives spends $2,288 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Brunei spends $1,896 as of 2023.
have 15.6% fewer doctors per person
Maldives has 22.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2019. Brunei has 18.9 as of 2021.
be 2.1 times more likely to die by suicide
Maldives has a suicide rate of 1.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Brunei, it is 3.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 2.2 times more money
Maldives has a GDP per capita of $14,615 as of 2025, while in Brunei, the GDP per capita is $32,235 as of 2025.
be 17.1% more likely to be unemployed
In Maldives, 4.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Brunei, that number is 5.3% as of 2025.
Life
have 25.9% more children
In Maldives, there are approximately 10.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Brunei, there are 13.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 83.0% more likely to die during infancy
In Maldives, approximately 4.7 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Brunei, on the other hand, 8.6 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 13.0% more likely to have internet access
In Maldives, approximately 85.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Brunei, about 96.3% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 75.9% less on healthcare
Maldives spends 9.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Brunei, that number is 2.2% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 75.0% less coastline
Maldives has a total of 644 km of coastline. In Brunei, that number is 161 km.
Safety
be 2.8 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Maldives, road accidents kill 1.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Brunei, they kill 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 77.9% less strain on fresh water
Maldives withdraws 16% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Brunei withdraws 3% as of 2022.
Environment
be 31.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Maldives, air pollution causes 29.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Brunei, it causes 20.0 as of 2019.
emit 5.7 times more CO2
Maldives emits 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Brunei emits 20.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Maldives vs. Brunei
Brunei: At a glance
How big is Brunei compared to Maldives? See an in-depth size comparison.