Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 6.2 years longer

In Burma, the average life expectancy is 70 years (68 years for men, 72 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 2.7 times more likely to be obese

In Burma, 5.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Malaysia, that number is 15.6% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 6.3 times more money

Burma has a GDP per capita of $5,300 as of 2023, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $33,600 as of 2023.

be 75.0% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Burma, 24.8% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Malaysia, however, that number is 6.2% as of 2021.

be 35.9% more likely to be unemployed

In Burma, 2.8% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 3.9% as of 2023.

Life

be 88.3% less likely to die during childbirth

In Burma, approximately 179.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Malaysia, 21.0 women do as of 2020.

be 80.0% less likely to die during infancy

In Burma, approximately 32.9 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.

Basic Needs

be 35.7% more likely to have access to electricity

In Burma, approximately 74% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Malaysia, 100% of the population do as of 2022.

be 2.2 times more likely to have internet access

In Burma, approximately 44.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Malaysia, about 97.0% do as of 2021.

be 14.3% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Burma, approximately 85% of people have improved drinking water access (95% in urban areas, and 81% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Malaysia, that number is 98% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 91% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 95.0% more on education

Burma spends 2.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. Malaysia spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 10.8% more on healthcare

Burma spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Malaysia, that number is 4.1% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 2.4 times more coastline

Burma has a total of 1,930 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

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 Burma? See an in-depth size comparison.

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