Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Malaysia instead of Pakistan, you would:

Health

live 6.5 years longer

In Pakistan, the average life expectancy is 70 years (68 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2022. In Malaysia, that number is 76 years (74 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2022.

be 81.4% more likely to be obese

In Pakistan, 8.6% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Malaysia, that number is 15.6% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 5.7 times more money

Pakistan has a GDP per capita of $4,600 as of 2020, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $26,400 as of 2020.

be 45.0% less likely to be unemployed

In Pakistan, 6.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2017. In Malaysia, that number is 3.3% as of 2019.

be 77.0% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Pakistan, 24.3% live below the poverty line as of 2015. In Malaysia, however, that number is 5.6% as of 2018.

pay a 40.0% higher top tax rate

Pakistan has a top tax rate of 20.0% as of 2016. In Malaysia, the top tax rate is 28.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 79.3% less likely to die during childbirth

In Pakistan, approximately 140.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Malaysia, 29.0 women do as of 2017.

be 63.8% more likely to be literate

In Pakistan, the literacy rate is 58.0% as of 2019. In Malaysia, it is 95.0% as of 2019.

be 87.8% less likely to die during infancy

In Pakistan, approximately 54.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Malaysia, on the other hand, 6.6 children do as of 2022.

have 45.1% fewer children

In Pakistan, there are approximately 26.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Malaysia, there are 14.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 26.6% more likely to have access to electricity

In Pakistan, approximately 79% of the population has electricity access as of 2019. In Malaysia, 100% of the population do as of 2020.

be 3.6 times more likely to have internet access

In Pakistan, approximately 25.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In Malaysia, about 90.0% do as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 68.0% more on education

Pakistan spends 2.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. Malaysia spends 4.2% of total GDP on education as of 2019.

spend 11.8% more on healthcare

Pakistan spends 3.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In Malaysia, that number is 3.8% of GDP as of 2019.

Geography

see 4.5 times more coastline

Pakistan has a total of 1,046 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Federal Board of Revenue, Government of Pakistan, Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia.

Malaysia: At a glance

Malaysia is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 328,657 sq km. During the late 18th and 19th centuries, Great Britain established colonies and protectorates in the area of current Malaysia; these were occupied by Japan from 1942 to 1945. In 1948, the British-ruled territories on the Malay Peninsula except Singapore formed the Federation of Malaya, which became independent in 1957. Malaysia was formed in 1963 when the former British colonies of Singapore, as well as Sabah and Sarawak on the northern coast of Borneo, joined the Federation. The first several years of the country's independence were marred by a communist insurgency, Indonesian confrontation with Malaysia, Philippine claims to Sabah, and Singapore's withdrawal in 1965. During the 22-year term of Prime Minister MAHATHIR bin Mohamad (1981-2003), Malaysia was successful in diversifying its economy from dependence on exports of raw materials to the development of manufacturing, services, and tourism. Prime Minister Mohamed NAJIB bin Abdul Razak (in office since April 2009) has continued these pro-business policies and has introduced some civil reforms.
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How big is Malaysia compared to Pakistan? See an in-depth size comparison.

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