Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malaysia instead of Nauru, you would:
Health
live 14.5 years longer
In Nauru, the average life expectancy is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 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 67.3% less likely to be obese
In Nauru, 71.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 23.3% of people as of 2024.
have 26.7% more access to essential health services
Nauru scores 60 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malaysia scores 76 as of 2021.
see 41.8% less spent on your healthcare
Nauru spends $2,474 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malaysia spends $1,441 as of 2023.
Economy
make 10.3% less money
Nauru has a GDP per capita of $14,640 as of 2025, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $13,125 as of 2025.
Life
be 90.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Nauru, approximately 273.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malaysia, 26.0 women do as of 2023.
have 49.7% fewer children
In Nauru, there are approximately 24.6 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 18.1% more likely to have internet access
In Nauru, approximately 83.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malaysia, about 98.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 39.3% less on education
Nauru spends 5.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Malaysia spends 3.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 78.3% less on healthcare
Nauru spends 18.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 155.8 times more coastline
Nauru has a total of 30 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.
Safety
be 73.8% more likely to die in a road accident
In Nauru, road accidents kill 8.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malaysia, they kill 13.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 36.0% more home broadband
Nauru has 10.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Malaysia has 13.6 as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Nauru vs. Malaysia
Malaysia: At a glance
How big is Malaysia compared to Nauru? See an in-depth size comparison.