Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Malaysia instead of Thailand, you would:

Health

live 1.5 years less

In Thailand, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2022. In Malaysia, that number is 76 years (74 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2022.

be 56.0% more likely to be obese

In Thailand, 10.0% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Malaysia, that number is 15.6% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 62.3% more money

Thailand has a GDP per capita of $17,500 as of 2022, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $28,400 as of 2022.

pay a 20.0% lower top tax rate

Thailand has a top tax rate of 35.0% as of 2016. In Malaysia, the top tax rate is 28.0% as of 2016.

be 3.9 times more likely to be unemployed

In Thailand, 0.9% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Malaysia, that number is 3.6% as of 2022.

Life

be 27.6% less likely to die during childbirth

In Thailand, approximately 29.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Malaysia, 21.0 women do as of 2020.

have 43.4% more children

In Thailand, there are approximately 9.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malaysia, there are 14.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 14.1% more likely to have internet access

In Thailand, approximately 85.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Malaysia, about 97.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 21.9% more on education

Thailand spends 3.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Malaysia spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

Geography

see 45.2% more coastline

Thailand has a total of 3,219 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia, The Revenue Department, Government of Thailand.

Malaysia: At a glance

Malaysia is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 328,657 sq km. During the late 18th and 19th centuries, Great Britain established colonies and protectorates in the area of current Malaysia; these were occupied by Japan from 1942 to 1945. In 1948, the British-ruled territories on the Malay Peninsula except Singapore formed the Federation of Malaya, which became independent in 1957. Malaysia was formed in 1963 when the former British colonies of Singapore, as well as Sabah and Sarawak on the northern coast of Borneo, joined the Federation. The first several years of the country's independence were marred by a communist insurgency, Indonesian confrontation with Malaysia, Philippine claims to Sabah, and Singapore's withdrawal in 1965. During the 22-year term of Prime Minister MAHATHIR bin Mohamad (1981-2003), Malaysia was successful in diversifying its economy from dependence on exports of raw materials to the development of manufacturing, services, and tourism. Prime Minister Mohamed NAJIB bin Abdul Razak (in office since April 2009) has continued these pro-business policies and has introduced some civil reforms.
Read more

How big is Malaysia compared to Thailand? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Malaysia.or Thailand It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.