Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 40.2% less likely to be obese

In Israel, 26.1% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Malaysia, that number is 15.6% of people as of 2016.

live 7.2 years less

In Israel, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 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 71.8% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Israel, 22.0% live below the poverty line as of 2014. In Malaysia, however, that number is 6.2% as of 2021.

pay a 44.0% lower top tax rate

Israel has a top tax rate of 50.0% as of 2016. In Malaysia, the top tax rate is 28.0% as of 2016.

make 30.4% less money

Israel has a GDP per capita of $48,300 as of 2023, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $33,600 as of 2023.

be 13.9% more likely to be unemployed

In Israel, 3.4% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 3.9% as of 2023.

Life

be 7.0 times more likely to die during childbirth

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

be 85.1% more likely to die during infancy

In Israel, approximately 3.6 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 25.7% fewer children

In Israel, there are approximately 19.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malaysia, there are 14.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Expenditures

spend 45.1% less on education

Israel spends 7.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Malaysia spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 50.6% less on healthcare

Israel spends 8.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Malaysia, that number is 4.1% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 17.1 times more coastline

Israel has a total of 273 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, Israel Ministry of Finance Tax Authority.

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 Israel? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

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