East Asia & Pacific
A life that begins in Malaysia
One in every 302 babies in the world is born here: about 444,758 a year, 0.85 a minute.
- Population
- 35,977,838
- Births a year
- 444,758
- Life expectancy
- 77
- Children who die before 5 (per 1,000)
- 8.3
Health and survival
Life expectancy, women (years)
79.5
World: 75.9
Life expectancy, men (years)
74.5
World: 71
Babies who die before 1 (per 1,000)
7
World: 27.8
Children who die before 5 (per 1,000)
8.3
World: 37.6
Mothers who die in childbirth (per 100,000 births)
26
World: 189
Adults living with HIV (%)
0.3
World: 0.7
Adults who smoke (%)
17
World: 20
Alcohol per adult (litres a year)
0.74
World: 4.6
Road deaths (per 100,000)
22.5
World: 17
Homicides (per 100,000)
0.73
World: 4.7
Family and school
Children per woman
1.54
World: 2.85
Women married before 18 (%)
≈ 15
World: 18
Children in primary school (%)
100
World: 89
Secondary school enrolment (%)
80
World: 81
Higher education enrolment (%)
39
World: 48
Children aged 7–14 who work (%)
≈ 11.5
World: 11.9
Money and work
Income per person (PPP)
$35,461
World: $21,797
Income inequality (Gini, 0–100)
41
World: 34
Living on under $3 a day (%)
0
World: 9.9
Unemployment (%)
3.8
World: 5.1
Jobs in farming (%)
9
World: 27
Women in the workforce (%)
52
World: 48
Health costs paid out of pocket (%)
37
World: 37
Home and connection
Living in cities (%)
77
World: 58
Access to electricity (%)
100
World: 92
Safe drinking water (%)
98
World: 91
Internet users (%)
98
World: 72
Peace and wellbeing
Life satisfaction (0–10)
6.01
World: 5.4
Deaths in armed conflict (per 100,000 a year)
0
World: 2.43
Refugees abroad (% of population)
0.01
World: 0.34
≈ Estimated from the region
From 1960 to 2050
How life here has changed, and where UN projections expect it to go. The dashed part is a projection.
1960: 57.3 → 2026: 77.3 → 2050: 81.2
World
1960: 95 → 2026: 8 → 2050: 8
World
1960: 6.4 → 2026: 1.6 → 2050: 1.5
World
1960: 26 → 2026: 78 → 2050: 91
World
Nobody chooses where they are born
In the game, the country is drawn by the real share of births: Malaysia comes up about once in every 302 lives.
Be born nowCompare Malaysia with
Other countries in East Asia & Pacific
All 178 countries →Sources: World Bank (WDI), UN World Population Prospects, Our World in Data, World Happiness Report, UCDP and PRIO. Updated 2026-10-18.