Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United States instead of Malaysia, you would:
Health
live 4.5 years longer
In Malaysia, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2022. In United States, that number is 81 years (78 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2022.
be 2.3 times more likely to be obese
In Malaysia, 15.6% of adults are obese as of 2016. In United States, that number is 36.2% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 2.3 times more money
Malaysia has a GDP per capita of $28,400 as of 2022, while in United States, the GDP per capita is $64,600 as of 2022.
be 2.4 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Malaysia, 6.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In United States, however, that number is 15.1% as of 2010.
pay a 41.4% higher top tax rate
Malaysia has a top tax rate of 28.0% as of 2016. In United States, the top tax rate is 39.6% as of 2016.
Life
be 21.5% 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 United States, on the other hand, 5.2 children do as of 2022.
have 14.1% fewer children
In Malaysia, there are approximately 14.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United States, there are 12.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 56.4% more on education
Malaysia spends 3.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. United States spends 6.1% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 4.6 times more on healthcare
Malaysia spends 4.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In United States, that number is 18.8% of GDP as of 2020.
Geography
see 4.3 times more coastline
Malaysia has a total of 4,675 km of coastline. In United States, that number is 19,924 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia, Internal Revenue Service.
United States: At a glance
How big is United States compared to Malaysia? See an in-depth size comparison.