Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malaysia instead of United States, you would:
Health
be 43.0% less likely to be obese
In United States, 41.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 23.3% of people as of 2024.
be 63.9% less likely to die by suicide
United States has a suicide rate of 15.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malaysia, it is 5.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 2.1 years less
In United States, the average life expectancy is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 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 89.3% less spent on your healthcare
United States spends $13,473 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malaysia spends $1,441 as of 2023.
have 36.4% fewer doctors per person
United States has 36.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Malaysia has 23.4 as of 2023.
have 11.6% less access to essential health services
United States scores 86 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malaysia scores 76 as of 2021.
Economy
be 10.5% less likely to be unemployed
In United States, 4.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malaysia, that number is 3.8% as of 2025.
make 85.4% less money
United States has a GDP per capita of $90,027 as of 2025, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $13,125 as of 2025.
Life
have 16.6% more children
In United States, there are approximately 10.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malaysia, there are 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 52.9% more likely to die during childbirth
In United States, approximately 17.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malaysia, 26.0 women do as of 2023.
be 27.3% more likely to die during infancy
In United States, approximately 5.5 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.
Expenditures
spend 35.2% less on education
United States spends 5.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Malaysia spends 3.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 76.3% less on healthcare
United States spends 16.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 76.5% less coastline
United States has a total of 19,924 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.
Safety
be 87.3% less likely to be murdered
United States has a homicide rate of 5.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 43.7% more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In United States, 63% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2021. In Malaysia, that number is 90% as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 87.8% less strain on fresh water
United States withdraws 28% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malaysia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
find 65.1% less home broadband
United States has 38.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malaysia has 13.6 as of 2024.
use 60.4% less electricity
United States uses 12,839 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Malaysia uses 5,084 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 38.9% less CO2
United States emits 13.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malaysia emits 8.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 4.5 times more likely to die from air pollution
In United States, air pollution causes 14.0 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: United States vs. Malaysia
Malaysia: At a glance
How big is Malaysia compared to United States? See an in-depth size comparison.