Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malaysia instead of Uruguay, you would:
Health
be 33.2% less likely to be obese
In Uruguay, 35.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 23.3% of people as of 2024.
be 77.2% less likely to die by suicide
Uruguay has a suicide rate of 24.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malaysia, it is 5.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 1.5 years less
In Uruguay, the average life expectancy is 78 years (74 years for men, 82 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 54.0% less spent on your healthcare
Uruguay spends $3,135 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malaysia spends $1,441 as of 2023.
have 49.9% fewer doctors per person
Uruguay has 46.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Malaysia has 23.4 as of 2023.
Economy
be 50.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Uruguay, 7.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malaysia, that number is 3.8% as of 2025.
be 70.5% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Uruguay, 17.3% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Malaysia, however, that number is 5.1% as of 2023.
make 48.0% less money
Uruguay has a GDP per capita of $25,216 as of 2025, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $13,125 as of 2025.
Life
have 26.1% more children
In Uruguay, 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 73.3% more likely to die during childbirth
In Uruguay, approximately 15.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Malaysia, 26.0 women do as of 2023.
be 12.9% more likely to die during infancy
In Uruguay, approximately 6.2 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 26.3% less on education
Uruguay spends 4.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Malaysia spends 3.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 56.1% less on healthcare
Uruguay spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 7.1 times more coastline
Uruguay has a total of 660 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.
Safety
be 93.5% less likely to be murdered
Uruguay has a homicide rate of 11.2 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
live with 71.5% less strain on fresh water
Uruguay withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malaysia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
use 34.1% more electricity
Uruguay uses 3,790 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Malaysia uses 5,084 kWh as of 2023.
find 59.0% less home broadband
Uruguay has 33.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malaysia has 13.6 as of 2024.
Environment
be 3.9 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Uruguay, air pollution causes 16.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malaysia, it causes 63.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.2 times more CO2
Uruguay emits 2.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malaysia emits 8.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2019). How we calculate this
Compare further: Uruguay vs. Malaysia
Malaysia: At a glance
How big is Malaysia compared to Uruguay? See an in-depth size comparison.