Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 31.3% less likely to be obese

In Panama, 22.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Malaysia, that number is 15.6% of people as of 2016.

live 1.5 years less

In Panama, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 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

be 42.4% less likely to be unemployed

In Panama, 6.7% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 3.9% as of 2023.

be 71.2% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Panama, 21.5% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Malaysia, however, that number is 6.2% as of 2021.

pay a 12.0% higher top tax rate

Panama has a top tax rate of 25.0% as of 2016. In Malaysia, the top tax rate is 28.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 58.0% less likely to die during childbirth

In Panama, approximately 50.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Malaysia, 21.0 women do as of 2020.

be 59.9% less likely to die during infancy

In Panama, approximately 16.4 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 18.4% fewer children

In Panama, there are approximately 17.4 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 42.6% more likely to have internet access

In Panama, approximately 68.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Malaysia, about 97.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 57.7% less on healthcare

Panama spends 9.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Malaysia, that number is 4.1% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 87.8% more coastline

Panama has a total of 2,490 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, General Directorate of Revenues, Panama.

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 Panama? See an in-depth size comparison.

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