If you lived in Malaysia instead of Saint Lucia, you would:

Health

live 4.0 years longer

In Saint Lucia, the average life expectancy is 73 years (69 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 32.9% less likely to be obese

In Saint Lucia, 34.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 23.3% of people as of 2024.

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see 17.3% more spent on your healthcare

Saint Lucia spends $1,228 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malaysia spends $1,441 as of 2023.

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have 44.7% fewer doctors per person

Saint Lucia has 42.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Malaysia has 23.4 as of 2023.

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Economy

be 60.2% less likely to be unemployed

In Saint Lucia, 9.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malaysia, that number is 3.8% as of 2025.

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make 11.0% less money

Saint Lucia has a GDP per capita of $14,746 as of 2025, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $13,125 as of 2025.

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Life

be 40.9% less likely to die during childbirth

In Saint Lucia, approximately 44.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malaysia, 26.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 55.7% less likely to die during infancy

In Saint Lucia, approximately 15.8 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.

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have 10.3% more children

In Saint Lucia, there are approximately 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malaysia, there are 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 43.7% more likely to have internet access

In Saint Lucia, approximately 68.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malaysia, about 98.0% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 16.3% less on healthcare

Saint Lucia spends 4.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 29.6 times more coastline

Saint Lucia has a total of 158 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.

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Safety

be 98.1% less likely to be murdered

Saint Lucia has a homicide rate of 39.0 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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be 56.2% more likely to die in a road accident

In Saint Lucia, road accidents kill 8.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malaysia, they kill 13.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 75.9% less strain on fresh water

Saint Lucia withdraws 14% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malaysia withdraws 3% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 3.1 times more likely to die from air pollution

In Saint Lucia, air pollution causes 20.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malaysia, it causes 63.0 as of 2019.

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emit 4.9 times more CO2

Saint Lucia emits 1.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malaysia emits 8.3 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

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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