Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Malaysia instead of Western Sahara, you would:

Health

live 11.6 years longer

In Western Sahara, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2020. In Malaysia, that number is 76 years (74 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 13.4 times more money

Western Sahara has a GDP per capita of $2,500 as of 2007, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $33,600 as of 2023.

Life

be 86.2% less likely to die during infancy

In Western Sahara, approximately 47.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2020. In Malaysia, on the other hand, 6.6 children do as of 2022.

have 49.3% fewer children

In Western Sahara, there are approximately 28.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020. In Malaysia, there are 14.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Geography

see 4.2 times more coastline

Western Sahara has a total of 1,110 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

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 Western Sahara? See an in-depth size comparison.

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