Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malaysia instead of Sierra Leone, you would:
Health
be 78.6% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Sierra Leone, 1.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 0.3% of people as of 2024.
live 14.9 years longer
In Sierra Leone, the average life expectancy is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 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 9.1 times more spent on your healthcare
Sierra Leone spends $159 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malaysia spends $1,441 as of 2023.
have 17.5 times more doctors per person
Sierra Leone has 1.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Malaysia has 23.4 as of 2023.
have 85.4% more access to essential health services
Sierra Leone scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malaysia scores 76 as of 2021.
be 2.8 times more likely to be obese
In Sierra Leone, 8.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 23.3% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 15.5 times more money
Sierra Leone has a GDP per capita of $846 as of 2025, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $13,125 as of 2025.
be 19.4% more likely to be unemployed
In Sierra Leone, 3.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malaysia, that number is 3.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 92.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Sierra Leone, approximately 354.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malaysia, 26.0 women do as of 2023.
be 97.1% more likely to be literate
In Sierra Leone, the literacy rate is 48.6% as of 2022. In Malaysia, it is 95.8% as of 2022.
be 87.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Sierra Leone, approximately 54.6 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 59.0% fewer children
In Sierra Leone, there are approximately 30.1 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 2.8 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Sierra Leone, approximately 36% of people have electricity access (56% in urban areas, and 19% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 3.9 times more likely to have internet access
In Sierra Leone, approximately 25.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malaysia, about 98.0% do as of 2024.
be 43.9% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Sierra Leone, approximately 68% of people have access to drinking water (82% in urban areas, and 57% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 98% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 95% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 16.1% less on healthcare
Sierra Leone spends 4.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 34.0% more on education
Sierra Leone spends 2.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Malaysia spends 3.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 11.6 times more coastline
Sierra Leone has a total of 402 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.
Safety
be 67.1% less likely to be murdered
Sierra Leone has a homicide rate of 2.2 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Malaysia, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
live with 6.9 times more strain on fresh water
Sierra Leone withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malaysia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
Environment
be 35.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Sierra Leone, air pollution causes 97.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malaysia, it causes 63.0 as of 2019.
emit 48.9 times more CO2
Sierra Leone emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malaysia emits 8.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Sierra Leone vs. Malaysia
Malaysia: At a glance
How big is Malaysia compared to Sierra Leone? See an in-depth size comparison.