Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 13.7 years longer

In Mali, the average life expectancy is 62 years (60 years for men, 65 years for women) as of 2022. In Malaysia, that number is 76 years (74 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2022.

be 81.4% more likely to be obese

In Mali, 8.6% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Malaysia, that number is 15.6% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 13.4 times more money

Mali has a GDP per capita of $2,500 as of 2023, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $33,600 as of 2023.

be 86.1% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Mali, 44.6% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Malaysia, however, that number is 6.2% as of 2021.

be 28.2% more likely to be unemployed

In Mali, 3.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 3.9% as of 2023.

Life

be 95.2% less likely to die during childbirth

In Mali, approximately 440.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Malaysia, 21.0 women do as of 2020.

be 2.7 times more likely to be literate

In Mali, the literacy rate is 35.5% as of 2018. In Malaysia, it is 95.0% as of 2019.

be 89.1% less likely to die during infancy

In Mali, approximately 60.6 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 65.4% fewer children

In Mali, there are approximately 41.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Malaysia, there are 14.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 88.7% more likely to have access to electricity

In Mali, approximately 53% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Malaysia, 100% of the population do as of 2022.

be 2.9 times more likely to have internet access

In Mali, approximately 34.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Malaysia, about 97.0% do as of 2021.

be 12.8% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Mali, approximately 86% of people have improved drinking water access (100% in urban areas, and 76% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Malaysia, that number is 98% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 91% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 11.4% less on education

Mali spends 4.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Malaysia spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

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 Mali? See an in-depth size comparison.

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