Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 63.6% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Suriname, 1.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Malaysia, that number is 0.4% of people as of 2020.

live 3.7 years longer

In Suriname, the average life expectancy is 72 years (69 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 40.9% less likely to be obese

In Suriname, 26.4% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Malaysia, that number is 15.6% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 76.8% more money

Suriname has a GDP per capita of $19,000 as of 2023, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $33,600 as of 2023.

be 49.9% less likely to be unemployed

In Suriname, 7.7% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 3.9% as of 2023.

be 91.1% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Suriname, 70.0% live below the poverty line as of 2002. In Malaysia, however, that number is 6.2% as of 2021.

pay a 26.3% lower top tax rate

Suriname has a top tax rate of 38.0% as of 2016. In Malaysia, the top tax rate is 28.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 78.1% less likely to die during childbirth

In Suriname, approximately 96.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Malaysia, 21.0 women do as of 2020.

be 78.2% less likely to die during infancy

In Suriname, approximately 30.2 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 47.0% more likely to have internet access

In Suriname, approximately 66.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Malaysia, about 97.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 22.0% less on education

Suriname spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Malaysia spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 39.7% less on healthcare

Suriname spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Malaysia, that number is 4.1% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 12.1 times more coastline

Suriname has a total of 386 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance, 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 Suriname? See an in-depth size comparison.

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