Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 37.6% less likely to be obese

In Bulgaria, 25.0% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Malaysia, that number is 15.6% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 15.0% less likely to be unemployed

In Bulgaria, 4.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Malaysia, that number is 3.6% as of 2022.

be 72.9% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Bulgaria, 22.9% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Malaysia, however, that number is 6.2% as of 2021.

pay a 2.8 times higher top tax rate

Bulgaria has a top tax rate of 10.0% as of 2016. In Malaysia, the top tax rate is 28.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 17.4% less likely to die during infancy

In Bulgaria, approximately 8.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Malaysia, on the other hand, 6.6 children do as of 2022.

have 79.7% more children

In Bulgaria, there are approximately 7.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malaysia, there are 14.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 3.0 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Bulgaria, approximately 7.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Malaysia, 21.0 women do as of 2020.

Basic Needs

be 29.3% more likely to have internet access

In Bulgaria, approximately 75.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Malaysia, about 97.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 51.8% less on healthcare

Bulgaria spends 8.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Malaysia, that number is 4.1% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 13.2 times more coastline

Bulgaria has a total of 354 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, National Revenue Agency, Bulgaria, Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia.

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

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