Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 10.2 years less

In Singapore, the average life expectancy is 86 years (84 years for men, 89 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 2.6 times more likely to be obese

In Singapore, 6.1% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Malaysia, that number is 15.6% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 73.6% less money

Singapore has a GDP per capita of $127,500 as of 2023, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $33,600 as of 2023.

be 11.2% more likely to be unemployed

In Singapore, 3.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 3.9% as of 2023.

pay a 27.3% higher top tax rate

Singapore has a top tax rate of 22.0% as of 2016. In Malaysia, the top tax rate is 28.0% as of 2016.

Life

have 61.4% more children

In Singapore, there are approximately 8.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malaysia, there are 14.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 3.0 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Singapore, approximately 7.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Malaysia, 21.0 women do as of 2020.

be 4.3 times more likely to die during infancy

In Singapore, approximately 1.6 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.

Expenditures

spend 32.8% less on healthcare

Singapore spends 6.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Malaysia, that number is 4.1% of GDP as of 2020.

spend 39.3% more on education

Singapore spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Malaysia spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

Geography

see 24.2 times more coastline

Singapore has a total of 193 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 Authority of Singapore.

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 Singapore? See an in-depth size comparison.

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