Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 28.8% less likely to be obese

In Iceland, 21.9% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Malaysia, that number is 15.6% of people as of 2016.

live 7.5 years less

In Iceland, 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 29.5% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Iceland, 8.8% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Malaysia, however, that number is 6.2% as of 2021.

pay a 39.5% lower top tax rate

Iceland has a top tax rate of 46.3% as of 2016. In Malaysia, the top tax rate is 28.0% as of 2016.

make 49.5% less money

Iceland has a GDP per capita of $66,500 as of 2023, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $33,600 as of 2023.

Life

have 12.7% more children

In Iceland, there are approximately 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malaysia, there are 14.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 7.0 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Iceland, approximately 3.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Malaysia, 21.0 women do as of 2020.

be 4.0 times more likely to die during infancy

In Iceland, approximately 1.6 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.

Expenditures

spend 49.4% less on education

Iceland spends 7.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Malaysia spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 57.3% less on healthcare

Iceland spends 9.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Malaysia, that number is 4.1% of GDP as of 2020.

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

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 Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.

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