Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malaysia instead of Tuvalu, you would:
Health
live 9.6 years longer
In Tuvalu, the average life expectancy is 67 years (64 years for men, 71 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 64.2% less likely to be obese
In Tuvalu, 65.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 23.3% of people as of 2024.
have 73.9% more doctors per person
Tuvalu has 13.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Malaysia has 23.4 as of 2023.
have 46.2% more access to essential health services
Tuvalu scores 52 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malaysia scores 76 as of 2021.
see 13.7% less spent on your healthcare
Tuvalu spends $1,671 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malaysia spends $1,441 as of 2023.
Economy
make 2.2 times more money
Tuvalu has a GDP per capita of $6,041 as of 2025, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $13,125 as of 2025.
Life
be 84.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Tuvalu, approximately 170.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malaysia, 26.0 women do as of 2023.
be 57.6% less likely to die during infancy
In Tuvalu, approximately 16.5 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 43.7% fewer children
In Tuvalu, there are approximately 22.0 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 20.7% more likely to have internet access
In Tuvalu, approximately 81.2% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Malaysia, about 98.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 72.7% less on education
Tuvalu spends 12.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Malaysia spends 3.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 85.4% less on healthcare
Tuvalu spends 27.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 194.8 times more coastline
Tuvalu has a total of 24 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.
Safety
be 22.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Tuvalu, road accidents kill 17.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malaysia, they kill 13.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.0 times more home broadband
Tuvalu has 4.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Malaysia has 13.6 as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Tuvalu vs. Malaysia
Malaysia: At a glance
How big is Malaysia compared to Tuvalu? See an in-depth size comparison.