Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malaysia instead of Maldives, you would:
Health
have 24.6% more access to essential health services
Maldives scores 61 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malaysia scores 76 as of 2021.
live 4.5 years less
In Maldives, the average life expectancy is 81 years (80 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.
be 30.6% more likely to be obese
In Maldives, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 23.3% of people as of 2024.
see 37.0% less spent on your healthcare
Maldives spends $2,288 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malaysia spends $1,441 as of 2023.
be 3.8 times more likely to die by suicide
Maldives has a suicide rate of 1.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malaysia, it is 5.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 16.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Maldives, 4.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malaysia, that number is 3.8% as of 2025.
make 10.2% less money
Maldives has a GDP per capita of $14,615 as of 2025, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $13,125 as of 2025.
Life
be 18.8% less likely to die during childbirth
In Maldives, approximately 32.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malaysia, 26.0 women do as of 2023.
have 16.7% more children
In Maldives, there are approximately 10.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malaysia, there are 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 48.9% 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 Malaysia, on the other hand, 7.0 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 15.0% more likely to have internet access
In Maldives, approximately 85.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malaysia, about 98.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 32.1% less on education
Maldives spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Malaysia spends 3.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 57.2% less on healthcare
Maldives spends 9.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 7.3 times more coastline
Maldives has a total of 644 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.
Safety
be 10.7 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Maldives, road accidents kill 1.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malaysia, they kill 13.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 78.0% less strain on fresh water
Maldives withdraws 16% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malaysia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
find 31.0% less home broadband
Maldives has 19.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malaysia has 13.6 as of 2024.
Environment
be 2.2 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Maldives, air pollution causes 29.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malaysia, it causes 63.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.3 times more CO2
Maldives emits 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malaysia emits 8.3 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: Maldives vs. Malaysia
Malaysia: At a glance
How big is Malaysia compared to Maldives? See an in-depth size comparison.