Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malaysia instead of Nigeria, you would:
Health
be 75.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Nigeria, 1.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 0.3% of people as of 2024.
live 22.2 years longer
In Nigeria, the average life expectancy is 55 years (54 years for men, 55 years for women) as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.
see 5.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Nigeria spends $260 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malaysia spends $1,441 as of 2023.
have 6.2 times more doctors per person
Nigeria has 3.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Malaysia has 23.4 as of 2023.
have 100.0% more access to essential health services
Nigeria scores 38 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malaysia scores 76 as of 2021.
be 70.7% more likely to be obese
In Nigeria, 13.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 23.3% of people as of 2024.
be 13.2% more likely to die by suicide
Nigeria has a suicide rate of 5.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malaysia, it is 5.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 90.9% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Nigeria, 56.2% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Malaysia, however, that number is 5.1% as of 2023.
make 10.7 times more money
Nigeria has a GDP per capita of $1,224 as of 2025, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $13,125 as of 2025.
be 22.9% more likely to be unemployed
In Nigeria, 3.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malaysia, that number is 3.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 97.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In Nigeria, approximately 993.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malaysia, 26.0 women do as of 2023.
be 36.0% more likely to be literate
In Nigeria, the literacy rate is 70.4% as of 2024. In Malaysia, it is 95.8% as of 2022.
be 90.0% less likely to die during infancy
In Nigeria, approximately 69.8 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 62.0% fewer children
In Nigeria, there are approximately 32.5 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 63.4% more likely to have access to electricity
In Nigeria, approximately 61% of people have electricity access (85% in urban areas, and 33% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 2.4 times more likely to have internet access
In Nigeria, approximately 41.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malaysia, about 98.0% do as of 2024.
be 19.1% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Nigeria, approximately 82% of people have access to drinking water (95% in urban areas, and 67% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 98% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 95% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 11.0 times more on education
Nigeria spends 0.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Malaysia spends 3.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 5.5 times more coastline
Nigeria has a total of 853 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.
Safety
be 95.4% less likely to be murdered
Nigeria has a homicide rate of 15.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 14.7% more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Nigeria, 79% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2019. In Malaysia, that number is 90% as of 2021.
be 19.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Nigeria, road accidents kill 17.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malaysia, they kill 13.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 169.4 times more home broadband
Nigeria has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malaysia has 13.6 as of 2024.
live with 64.4% less strain on fresh water
Nigeria withdraws 10% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malaysia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
use 35.3 times more electricity
Nigeria uses 144 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Malaysia uses 5,084 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 18.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Nigeria, air pollution causes 77.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malaysia, it causes 63.0 as of 2019.
emit 14.6 times more CO2
Nigeria emits 0.6 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: Nigeria vs. Malaysia
Malaysia: At a glance
How big is Malaysia compared to Nigeria? See an in-depth size comparison.