Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 7.4 times more likely to be obese

In Vietnam, 2.1% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Malaysia, that number is 15.6% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 2.5 times more money

Vietnam has a GDP per capita of $13,700 as of 2023, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $33,600 as of 2023.

pay a 20.0% lower top tax rate

Vietnam has a top tax rate of 35.0% as of 2016. In Malaysia, the top tax rate is 28.0% as of 2016.

be 2.4 times more likely to be unemployed

In Vietnam, 1.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 3.9% as of 2023.

be 29.2% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Vietnam, 4.8% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In Malaysia, however, that number is 6.2% as of 2021.

Life

be 83.1% less likely to die during childbirth

In Vietnam, approximately 124.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Malaysia, 21.0 women do as of 2020.

be 55.3% less likely to die during infancy

In Vietnam, approximately 14.8 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 31.1% more likely to have internet access

In Vietnam, approximately 74.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Malaysia, about 97.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 12.8% less on healthcare

Vietnam spends 4.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Malaysia, that number is 4.1% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 35.7% more coastline

Vietnam has a total of 3,444 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 Department Of Taxation - Ministry Of Finance.

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.
Read more

How big is Malaysia compared to Vietnam? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Malaysia.or Vietnam It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.