Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malaysia instead of Netherlands, you would:
Health
be 50.9% less likely to die by suicide
Netherlands has a suicide rate of 11.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malaysia, it is 5.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 5.2 years less
In Netherlands, the average life expectancy is 82 years (81 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 58.8% more likely to be obese
In Netherlands, 14.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 23.3% of people as of 2024.
see 82.4% less spent on your healthcare
Netherlands spends $8,195 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malaysia spends $1,441 as of 2023.
have 39.6% fewer doctors per person
Netherlands has 38.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Malaysia has 23.4 as of 2023.
have 10.6% less access to essential health services
Netherlands scores 85 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malaysia scores 76 as of 2021.
Economy
be 64.8% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Netherlands, 14.5% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Malaysia, however, that number is 5.1% as of 2023.
make 82.2% less money
Netherlands has a GDP per capita of $73,684 as of 2025, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $13,125 as of 2025.
Life
have 34.3% more children
In Netherlands, there are approximately 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malaysia, there are 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 6.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Netherlands, approximately 4.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malaysia, 26.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.1 times more likely to die during infancy
In Netherlands, approximately 3.4 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.
Expenditures
spend 32.2% less on education
Netherlands spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Malaysia spends 3.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 60.4% less on healthcare
Netherlands spends 10.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 10.4 times more coastline
Netherlands has a total of 451 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.
Safety
be 4.1 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Netherlands, road accidents kill 3.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malaysia, they kill 13.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 79.4% less strain on fresh water
Netherlands withdraws 17% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malaysia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
find 68.5% less home broadband
Netherlands has 43.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malaysia has 13.6 as of 2024.
use 20.4% less electricity
Netherlands uses 6,386 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Malaysia uses 5,084 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 4.8 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Netherlands, air pollution causes 13.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malaysia, it causes 63.0 as of 2019.
emit 26.1% more CO2
Netherlands emits 6.6 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: Netherlands vs. Malaysia
Malaysia: At a glance
How big is Malaysia compared to Netherlands? See an in-depth size comparison.