Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malaysia instead of Romania, you would:
Health
be 28.0% less likely to be obese
In Romania, 32.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 23.3% of people as of 2024.
be 41.3% less likely to die by suicide
Romania has a suicide rate of 9.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malaysia, it is 5.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 44.9% less spent on your healthcare
Romania spends $2,614 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malaysia spends $1,441 as of 2023.
have 35.4% fewer doctors per person
Romania has 36.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Malaysia has 23.4 as of 2023.
Economy
be 37.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Romania, 6.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malaysia, that number is 3.8% as of 2025.
be 72.3% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Romania, 18.4% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Malaysia, however, that number is 5.1% as of 2023.
make 41.8% less money
Romania has a GDP per capita of $22,538 as of 2025, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $13,125 as of 2025.
Life
have 64.8% more children
In Romania, there are approximately 7.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malaysia, there are 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Romania, approximately 12.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malaysia, 26.0 women do as of 2023.
be 16.7% more likely to die during infancy
In Romania, approximately 6.0 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 30.6% less on healthcare
Romania spends 5.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 20.8 times more coastline
Romania has a total of 225 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.
Safety
be 34.2% less likely to be murdered
Romania has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 44.8% more likely to die in a road accident
In Romania, road accidents kill 9.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malaysia, they kill 13.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 54.9% less strain on fresh water
Romania withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malaysia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
use 96.6% more electricity
Romania uses 2,585 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Malaysia uses 5,084 kWh as of 2023.
find 62.2% less home broadband
Romania has 35.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malaysia has 13.6 as of 2024.
Environment
be 37.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Romania, air pollution causes 46.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malaysia, it causes 63.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.2 times more CO2
Romania emits 3.7 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: Romania vs. Malaysia
Malaysia: At a glance
How big is Malaysia compared to Romania? See an in-depth size comparison.