Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 10.2 years longer

In Malaysia, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2022. In Singapore, that number is 86 years (84 years for men, 89 years for women) as of 2022.

be 60.9% less likely to be obese

In Malaysia, 15.6% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Singapore, that number is 6.1% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 3.8 times more money

Malaysia has a GDP per capita of $28,400 as of 2022, while in Singapore, the GDP per capita is $108,000 as of 2022.

pay a 21.4% lower top tax rate

Malaysia has a top tax rate of 28.0% as of 2016. In Singapore, the top tax rate is 22.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 66.7% less likely to die during childbirth

In Malaysia, approximately 21.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Singapore, 7.0 women do as of 2020.

be 76.5% less likely to die during infancy

In Malaysia, approximately 6.6 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Singapore, on the other hand, 1.6 children do as of 2022.

have 38.0% fewer children

In Malaysia, there are approximately 14.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Singapore, there are 8.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Expenditures

spend 28.2% less on education

Malaysia spends 3.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Singapore spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

spend 48.8% more on healthcare

Malaysia spends 4.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Singapore, that number is 6.1% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 95.9% less coastline

Malaysia has a total of 4,675 km of coastline. In Singapore, that number is 193 km.

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

Singapore: At a glance

Singapore is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 709 sq km. Singapore was founded as a British trading colony in 1819. It joined the Malaysian Federation in 1963 but separated two years later and became independent. Singapore subsequently became one of the world's most prosperous countries with strong international trading links (its port is one of the world's busiest in terms of tonnage handled) and with per capita GDP equal to that of the leading nations of Western Europe.
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How big is Singapore compared to Malaysia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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