Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malaysia instead of Trinidad and Tobago, you would:
Health
live 3.2 years longer
In Trinidad and Tobago, the average life expectancy is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 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 24.5% less likely to be obese
In Trinidad and Tobago, 30.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 23.3% of people as of 2024.
be 57.6% less likely to die by suicide
Trinidad and Tobago has a suicide rate of 13.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malaysia, it is 5.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 35.8% less spent on your healthcare
Trinidad and Tobago spends $2,244 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malaysia spends $1,441 as of 2023.
have 43.7% fewer doctors per person
Trinidad and Tobago has 41.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Malaysia has 23.4 as of 2023.
Economy
be 12.9% more likely to be unemployed
In Trinidad and Tobago, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malaysia, that number is 3.8% as of 2025.
make 30.8% less money
Trinidad and Tobago has a GDP per capita of $18,967 as of 2025, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $13,125 as of 2025.
Life
be 51.9% less likely to die during childbirth
In Trinidad and Tobago, approximately 54.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malaysia, 26.0 women do as of 2023.
be 58.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Trinidad and Tobago, approximately 17.0 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.
have 17.3% more children
In Trinidad and Tobago, there are approximately 10.5 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 19.3% more likely to have internet access
In Trinidad and Tobago, approximately 82.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malaysia, about 98.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 47.4% less on healthcare
Trinidad and Tobago spends 7.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 12.9 times more coastline
Trinidad and Tobago has a total of 362 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.
Safety
be 98.2% less likely to be murdered
Trinidad and Tobago has a homicide rate of 40.4 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Malaysia, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 2.8 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Trinidad and Tobago, road accidents kill 5.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malaysia, they kill 13.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 83.1% less strain on fresh water
Trinidad and Tobago withdraws 20% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malaysia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
find 49.9% less home broadband
Trinidad and Tobago has 27.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malaysia has 13.6 as of 2024.
use 23.7% less electricity
Trinidad and Tobago uses 6,664 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Malaysia uses 5,084 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 57.5% less CO2
Trinidad and Tobago emits 19.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malaysia emits 8.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 3.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Trinidad and Tobago, air pollution causes 20.0 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: Trinidad and Tobago vs. Malaysia
Malaysia: At a glance
How big is Malaysia compared to Trinidad and Tobago? See an in-depth size comparison.