Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 86.7% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Gabon, 3.0% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Malaysia, that number is 0.4% of people as of 2020.

live 6.4 years longer

In Gabon, the average life expectancy is 70 years (68 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2022. In Malaysia, that number is 76 years (74 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 69.7% more money

Gabon has a GDP per capita of $19,800 as of 2023, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $33,600 as of 2023.

be 81.0% less likely to be unemployed

In Gabon, 20.4% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 3.9% as of 2023.

be 81.4% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Gabon, 33.4% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Malaysia, however, that number is 6.2% as of 2021.

pay a 20.0% lower top tax rate

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

Life

be 90.7% less likely to die during childbirth

In Gabon, approximately 227.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Malaysia, 21.0 women do as of 2020.

be 11.1% more likely to be literate

In Gabon, the literacy rate is 85.5% as of 2021. In Malaysia, it is 95.0% as of 2019.

be 76.9% less likely to die during infancy

In Gabon, approximately 28.6 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 44.7% fewer children

In Gabon, there are approximately 25.7 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 34.7% more likely to have internet access

In Gabon, approximately 72.0% 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

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

spend 20.6% more on healthcare

Gabon spends 3.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Malaysia, that number is 4.1% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 5.3 times more coastline

Gabon has a total of 885 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, General Direction of Taxes, 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.
Read more

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

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

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