Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 96.6% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Namibia, 11.6% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Malaysia, that number is 0.4% of people as of 2020.

live 9.7 years longer

In Namibia, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 69 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

make 2.9 times more money

Namibia has a GDP per capita of $11,500 as of 2023, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $33,600 as of 2023.

be 80.1% less likely to be unemployed

In Namibia, 19.4% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 3.9% as of 2023.

be 64.4% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Namibia, 17.4% live below the poverty line as of 2015. In Malaysia, however, that number is 6.2% as of 2021.

pay a 24.3% lower top tax rate

Namibia has a top tax rate of 37.0% as of 2016. In Malaysia, the top tax rate is 28.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 90.2% less likely to die during childbirth

In Namibia, approximately 215.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Malaysia, 21.0 women do as of 2020.

be 77.6% less likely to die during infancy

In Namibia, approximately 29.4 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 41.6% fewer children

In Namibia, there are approximately 24.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malaysia, there are 14.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 77.9% more likely to have access to electricity

In Namibia, approximately 56% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Malaysia, 100% of the population do as of 2022.

be 83.0% more likely to have internet access

In Namibia, approximately 53.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Malaysia, about 97.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 59.4% less on education

Namibia spends 9.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Malaysia spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 53.9% less on healthcare

Namibia spends 8.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Malaysia, that number is 4.1% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 3.0 times more coastline

Namibia has a total of 1,572 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, Inland Revenue Department.

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 Namibia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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