Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malaysia instead of Philippines, you would:
Health
live 6.9 years longer
In Philippines, the average life expectancy is 70 years (67 years for men, 73 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 2.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Philippines spends $560 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malaysia spends $1,441 as of 2023.
have 3.0 times more doctors per person
Philippines has 7.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Malaysia has 23.4 as of 2023.
have 31.0% more access to essential health services
Philippines scores 58 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malaysia scores 76 as of 2021.
be 2.4 times more likely to be obese
In Philippines, 9.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 23.3% of people as of 2024.
be 61.9% more likely to die by suicide
Philippines has a suicide rate of 3.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malaysia, it is 5.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 47.4% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Philippines, 9.7% live below the poverty line as of 2025. In Malaysia, however, that number is 5.1% as of 2023.
make 3.1 times more money
Philippines has a GDP per capita of $4,171 as of 2025, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $13,125 as of 2025.
be 68.6% more likely to be unemployed
In Philippines, 2.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malaysia, that number is 3.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 69.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Philippines, approximately 84.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malaysia, 26.0 women do as of 2023.
be 67.7% less likely to die during infancy
In Philippines, approximately 21.7 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 22.2% fewer children
In Philippines, there are approximately 15.9 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 45.7% more likely to have internet access
In Philippines, approximately 67.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malaysia, about 98.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 11.6% less on education
Philippines spends 4.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2025. Malaysia spends 3.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 22.4% less on healthcare
Philippines spends 5.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 87.1% less coastline
Philippines has a total of 36,289 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.
Safety
be 83.2% less likely to be murdered
Philippines has a homicide rate of 4.3 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 43.3% more likely to die in a road accident
In Philippines, road accidents kill 9.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malaysia, they kill 13.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 89.8% more home broadband
Philippines has 7.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malaysia has 13.6 as of 2024.
live with 87.6% less strain on fresh water
Philippines withdraws 28% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malaysia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
use 5.5 times more electricity
Philippines uses 925 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Malaysia uses 5,084 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 31.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Philippines, air pollution causes 92.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malaysia, it causes 63.0 as of 2019.
emit 5.5 times more CO2
Philippines emits 1.5 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: Philippines vs. Malaysia
Malaysia: At a glance
How big is Malaysia compared to Philippines? See an in-depth size comparison.