Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malaysia instead of United Arab Emirates, you would:
Health
be 26.2% less likely to be obese
In United Arab Emirates, 31.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 23.3% of people as of 2024.
live 6.2 years less
In United Arab Emirates, the average life expectancy is 83 years (82 years for men, 84 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 61.3% less spent on your healthcare
United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malaysia spends $1,441 as of 2023.
have 21.8% fewer doctors per person
United Arab Emirates has 29.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Malaysia has 23.4 as of 2023.
be 3.3 times more likely to die by suicide
United Arab Emirates has a suicide rate of 1.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malaysia, it is 5.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 73.3% more likely to be unemployed
In United Arab Emirates, 2.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malaysia, that number is 3.8% as of 2025.
make 73.9% less money
United Arab Emirates has a GDP per capita of $50,274 as of 2024, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $13,125 as of 2025.
Life
have 25.9% more children
In United Arab Emirates, there are approximately 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malaysia, there are 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 8.7 times more likely to die during childbirth
In United Arab Emirates, approximately 3.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malaysia, 26.0 women do as of 2023.
be 84.2% more likely to die during infancy
In United Arab Emirates, approximately 3.8 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.
Expenditures
spend 20.3% less on healthcare
United Arab Emirates spends 5.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 3.5 times more coastline
United Arab Emirates has a total of 1,318 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.
Safety
be 2.4 times more likely to die in a road accident
In United Arab Emirates, road accidents kill 5.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malaysia, they kill 13.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 99.8% less strain on fresh water
United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malaysia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
find 66.8% less home broadband
United Arab Emirates has 40.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malaysia has 13.6 as of 2024.
use 66.7% less electricity
United Arab Emirates uses 15,285 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Malaysia uses 5,084 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 10.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In United Arab Emirates, air pollution causes 70.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malaysia, it causes 63.0 as of 2019.
emit 54.4% less CO2
United Arab Emirates emits 18.3 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 (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: United Arab Emirates vs. Malaysia
Malaysia: At a glance
How big is Malaysia compared to United Arab Emirates? See an in-depth size comparison.