Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malaysia instead of Mexico, you would:
Health
live 1.6 years longer
In Mexico, the average life expectancy is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 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 37.6% less likely to be obese
In Mexico, 37.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 23.3% of people as of 2024.
be 18.7% less likely to die by suicide
Mexico has a suicide rate of 7.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malaysia, it is 5.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 82.8% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Mexico, 29.6% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Malaysia, however, that number is 5.1% as of 2023.
be 40.8% more likely to be unemployed
In Mexico, 2.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malaysia, that number is 3.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 38.1% less likely to die during childbirth
In Mexico, approximately 42.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malaysia, 26.0 women do as of 2023.
be 42.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Mexico, approximately 12.1 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.
have 20.1% fewer children
In Mexico, there are approximately 15.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malaysia, there are 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 17.9% more likely to have internet access
In Mexico, approximately 83.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malaysia, about 98.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 13.5% less on education
Mexico spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Malaysia spends 3.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 28.0% less on healthcare
Mexico spends 5.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 49.9% less coastline
Mexico has a total of 9,330 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.
Safety
be 97.1% less likely to be murdered
Mexico has a homicide rate of 24.9 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 2.4 times more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Mexico, 39% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2022. In Malaysia, that number is 90% as of 2021.
be 15.8% more likely to die in a road accident
In Mexico, road accidents kill 12.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malaysia, they kill 13.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 92.3% less strain on fresh water
Mexico withdraws 45% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malaysia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
use 91.3% more electricity
Mexico uses 2,658 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Malaysia uses 5,084 kWh as of 2023.
find 37.7% less home broadband
Mexico has 21.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malaysia has 13.6 as of 2024.
Environment
be 2.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Mexico, air pollution causes 30.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malaysia, it causes 63.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.3 times more CO2
Mexico 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 (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Mexico vs. Malaysia
Malaysia: At a glance
How big is Malaysia compared to Mexico? See an in-depth size comparison.