Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malaysia instead of Samoa, you would:
Health
live 5.0 years longer
In Samoa, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 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 63.7% less likely to be obese
In Samoa, 64.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 23.3% of people as of 2024.
see 3.0 times more spent on your healthcare
Samoa spends $475 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malaysia spends $1,441 as of 2023.
have 4.2 times more doctors per person
Samoa has 5.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Malaysia has 23.4 as of 2023.
have 38.2% more access to essential health services
Samoa scores 55 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malaysia scores 76 as of 2021.
be 52.9% less likely to die by suicide
Samoa has a suicide rate of 12.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malaysia, it is 5.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 24.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Samoa, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malaysia, that number is 3.8% as of 2025.
make 2.2 times more money
Samoa has a GDP per capita of $5,873 as of 2025, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $13,125 as of 2025.
Life
be 74.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In Samoa, approximately 101.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malaysia, 26.0 women do as of 2023.
be 43.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Samoa, approximately 12.3 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 50.5% fewer children
In Samoa, there are approximately 25.0 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 30.2% more likely to have internet access
In Samoa, approximately 75.3% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Malaysia, about 98.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 35.7% less on education
Samoa spends 5.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Malaysia spends 3.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 41.6% less on healthcare
Samoa spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 11.6 times more coastline
Samoa has a total of 403 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.
Safety
be 44.8% more likely to die in a road accident
In Samoa, 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
find 15.4 times more home broadband
Samoa has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Malaysia has 13.6 as of 2024.
Environment
be 85.3% more likely to die from air pollution
In Samoa, air pollution causes 34.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malaysia, it causes 63.0 as of 2019.
emit 5.2 times more CO2
Samoa emits 1.6 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 (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Samoa vs. Malaysia
Malaysia: At a glance
How big is Malaysia compared to Samoa? See an in-depth size comparison.