Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Malaysia instead of Puerto Rico, you would:

Health

live 5.6 years less

In Puerto Rico, the average life expectancy is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 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 35.2% less likely to be unemployed

In Puerto Rico, 6.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 3.9% as of 2023.

pay a 15.2% lower top tax rate

Puerto Rico has a top tax rate of 33.0% as of 2016. In Malaysia, the top tax rate is 28.0% as of 2016.

make 21.9% less money

Puerto Rico has a GDP per capita of $43,000 as of 2023, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $33,600 as of 2023.

Life

be 38.2% less likely to die during childbirth

In Puerto Rico, approximately 34.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Malaysia, 21.0 women do as of 2020.

have 82.1% more children

In Puerto Rico, there are approximately 7.8 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 24.8% more likely to have internet access

In Puerto Rico, approximately 77.7% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Malaysia, about 97.0% do as of 2021.

Geography

see 9.3 times more coastline

Puerto Rico has a total of 501 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Puerto Rican Department of Treasury, Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia.

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 Puerto Rico? See an in-depth size comparison.

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