Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 60.3% less likely to be obese

In Malaysia, 15.6% of adults are obese as of 2016. In China, that number is 6.2% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 34.2% less money

Malaysia has a GDP per capita of $33,600 as of 2023, while in China, the GDP per capita is $22,100 as of 2023.

be 21.0% more likely to be unemployed

In Malaysia, 3.9% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In China, that number is 4.7% as of 2023.

pay a 60.7% higher top tax rate

Malaysia has a top tax rate of 28.0% as of 2016. In China, the top tax rate is 45.0% as of 2016.

Life

have 28.2% fewer children

In Malaysia, there are approximately 14.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In China, there are 10.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 24.7% less likely to have internet access

In Malaysia, approximately 97.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In China, about 73.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 36.6% more on healthcare

Malaysia spends 4.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In China, that number is 5.6% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 3.1 times more coastline

Malaysia has a total of 4,675 km of coastline. In China, that number is 14,500 km.

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

China: At a glance

China (sometimes abbreviated PRC) is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 9,326,410 sq km. For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. After World War II, the communists under MAO Zedong established an autocratic socialist system that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of millions of people. After 1978, MAO's successor DENG Xiaoping and other leaders focused on market-oriented economic development and by 2000 output had quadrupled. For much of the population, living standards have improved dramatically and the room for personal choice has expanded, yet political controls remain tight. Since the early 1990s, China has increased its global outreach and participation in international organizations.
Read more

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

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

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