Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malaysia instead of Norway, you would:
Health
be 57.2% less likely to die by suicide
Norway has a suicide rate of 13.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malaysia, it is 5.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 6.3 years less
In Norway, the average life expectancy is 83 years (82 years for men, 85 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 15.6% more likely to be obese
In Norway, 20.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 23.3% of people as of 2024.
see 84.9% less spent on your healthcare
Norway spends $9,523 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malaysia spends $1,441 as of 2023.
have 52.9% fewer doctors per person
Norway has 49.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Malaysia has 23.4 as of 2023.
have 12.6% less access to essential health services
Norway scores 87 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malaysia scores 76 as of 2021.
Economy
be 19.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Norway, 4.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malaysia, that number is 3.8% as of 2025.
be 58.2% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Norway, 12.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Malaysia, however, that number is 5.1% as of 2023.
make 86.1% less money
Norway has a GDP per capita of $94,594 as of 2025, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $13,125 as of 2025.
Life
have 27.4% more children
In Norway, there are approximately 9.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malaysia, there are 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 26.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Norway, approximately 1.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malaysia, 26.0 women do as of 2023.
be 3.5 times more likely to die during infancy
In Norway, approximately 2.0 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 35.4% less on education
Norway spends 5.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Malaysia spends 3.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 58.0% less on healthcare
Norway spends 9.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 81.4% less coastline
Norway has a total of 25,148 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.
Safety
be 9.3 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Norway, road accidents kill 1.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malaysia, they kill 13.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 70.0% less home broadband
Norway has 45.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malaysia has 13.6 as of 2024.
live with 68.6% more strain on fresh water
Norway withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malaysia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
use 78.5% less electricity
Norway uses 23,673 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Malaysia uses 5,084 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 7.9 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Norway, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malaysia, it causes 63.0 as of 2019.
emit 15.9% more CO2
Norway emits 7.2 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: Norway vs. Malaysia
Malaysia: At a glance
How big is Malaysia compared to Norway? See an in-depth size comparison.