Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Malaysia instead of North Korea, you would:

Health

live 4.4 years longer

In North Korea, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 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 2.3 times more likely to be obese

In North Korea, 6.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Malaysia, that number is 15.6% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 19.8 times more money

North Korea has a GDP per capita of $1,700 as of 2015, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $33,600 as of 2023.

be 28.7% more likely to be unemployed

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

Life

be 80.4% less likely to die during childbirth

In North Korea, approximately 107.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Malaysia, 21.0 women do as of 2020.

be 70.3% less likely to die during infancy

In North Korea, approximately 22.2 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.

Basic Needs

be 82.8% more likely to have access to electricity

In North Korea, approximately 55% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Malaysia, 100% of the population do as of 2022.

Geography

see 87.4% more coastline

North Korea has a total of 2,495 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.

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 North Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.

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