Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malaysia instead of Russia, you would:
Health
live 3.4 years longer
In Russia, the average life expectancy is 73 years (68 years for men, 79 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 73.6% less likely to die by suicide
Russia has a suicide rate of 21.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malaysia, it is 5.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 32.5% more likely to be obese
In Russia, 17.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 23.3% of people as of 2024.
see 55.0% less spent on your healthcare
Russia spends $3,204 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malaysia spends $1,441 as of 2023.
have 54.2% fewer doctors per person
Russia has 51.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Malaysia has 23.4 as of 2023.
Economy
be 29.2% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Russia, 7.2% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Malaysia, however, that number is 5.1% as of 2023.
be 76.5% more likely to be unemployed
In Russia, 2.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malaysia, that number is 3.8% as of 2025.
make 25.2% less money
Russia has a GDP per capita of $17,547 as of 2025, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $13,125 as of 2025.
Life
have 47.1% more children
In Russia, there are approximately 8.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malaysia, there are 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.9 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Russia, approximately 9.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malaysia, 26.0 women do as of 2023.
be 70.7% more likely to die during infancy
In Russia, approximately 4.1 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 15.6% less on education
Russia spends 4.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Malaysia spends 3.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 43.8% less on healthcare
Russia spends 7.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 87.6% less coastline
Russia has a total of 37,653 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.
Safety
be 89.2% less likely to be murdered
Russia has a homicide rate of 6.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malaysia, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 31.1% more likely to die in a road accident
In Russia, road accidents kill 10.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malaysia, they kill 13.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 16.5% less strain on fresh water
Russia withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malaysia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
find 50.1% less home broadband
Russia has 27.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malaysia has 13.6 as of 2024.
use 30.2% less electricity
Russia uses 7,285 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Malaysia uses 5,084 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 40.5% less CO2
Russia emits 14.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malaysia emits 8.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 61.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Russia, air pollution causes 39.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malaysia, it causes 63.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Russia vs. Malaysia
Malaysia: At a glance
How big is Malaysia compared to Russia? See an in-depth size comparison.