Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Malaysia instead of Hong Kong, you would:

Health

live 7.5 years less

In Hong Kong, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 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

be 68.8% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Hong Kong, 19.9% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Malaysia, however, that number is 6.2% as of 2021.

make 47.8% less money

Hong Kong has a GDP per capita of $64,400 as of 2023, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $33,600 as of 2023.

pay a 86.7% higher top tax rate

Hong Kong has a top tax rate of 15.0% as of 2016. In Malaysia, the top tax rate is 28.0% as of 2016.

Life

have 86.8% more children

In Hong Kong, there are approximately 7.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malaysia, there are 14.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 2.6 times more likely to die during infancy

In Hong Kong, approximately 2.5 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.

Geography

see 6.4 times more coastline

Hong Kong has a total of 733 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, Inland Revenue Department, Hong Kong.

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 Hong Kong? See an in-depth size comparison.

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