Malaysia at its true size
Malaysia covers 330,803 km², number 68 of 194 countries by area. Home to 35,977,838 people (2025). Sitting near the equator, it is one of the few places Mercator gets almost right.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 330,803 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 35,977,838 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 109 per km² |
| Capital | Kuala Lumpur |
| Local time in Kuala Lumpur | |
| Time zone | UTC+8 IANA |
| Currency | Malaysian ringgit (MYR) Wikidata |
| Languages | Malay |
| Traffic | On the left |
| Region | South-Eastern Asia, Asia |
| Status | Independent state |
| Member of | ASEAN |
| Coast | Has a coastline |
| Calling code | +60 |
| Codes | MY · MYS · 458 |
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Where Malaysia ranks
Among the independent states, in 44 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#45 of 19436 million people#19 of 48 in Asia
- Population density#81 of 194109 people per km²#28 of 48 in Asia
- Urban population#52 of 19277% urban#14 of 47 in Asia
- Fertility rate#131 of 1921.54 births per woman#37 of 47 in Asia
- Population growth#87 of 192+1.17% a year#24 of 47 in Asia
- Birth rate#109 of 19212.4 births per 1,000 people#31 of 47 in Asia
- Death rate#162 of 1925.3 deaths per 1,000 people#30 of 47 in Asia
- Children under 15#107 of 19221.3% under 15#29 of 47 in Asia
- People over 65#95 of 1928.0% aged 65 and over#18 of 47 in Asia
- Net migration#22 of 192+4.6 per 1,000 people#8 of 47 in Asia
- Refugees abroad#126 of 1900.07 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#32 of 47 in Asia
Health & education
- Life expectancy#67 of 19276.8 years#20 of 47 in Asia
- Infant mortality#132 of 1917.0 infant deaths per 1,000 live births#35 of 47 in Asia
- Doctors#77 of 1782.34 doctors per 1,000 people#18 of 46 in Asia
- University enrolment#91 of 14538.5% gross enrolment#27 of 42 in Asia
- Human Development Index#66 of 190an index of 0.819#16 of 46 in Asia
Economy
- GNI per capita#73 of 185$12,380 a person#17 of 45 in Asia
- Internet users#12 of 18498% online#6 of 43 in Asia
- GDP per capita (PPP)#54 of 184$41,498 a person#15 of 45 in Asia
- GDP growth#43 of 187+5.2% a year#15 of 45 in Asia
- Inflation#133 of 176+1.4% a year#29 of 42 in Asia
- Unemployment#115 of 1783.8% of the labour force#25 of 47 in Asia
- Extreme poverty#136 of 1490.0% under $3.00 a day#25 of 33 in Asia
- Income inequality (Gini)#33 of 149a Gini index of 40.7#2 of 33 in Asia
- Jobs in agriculture#112 of 1789.2% of jobs#32 of 47 in Asia
- Jobs in industry#35 of 17826.0% of jobs#15 of 47 in Asia
- Jobs in services#72 of 17864.9% of jobs#15 of 47 in Asia
- Foreign investment#40 of 1844.6% of GDP#11 of 44 in Asia
- Exports#24 of 16871.0% of GDP#9 of 42 in Asia
- Military spending#111 of 1551.0% of GDP#32 of 38 in Asia
- Mobile subscriptions#36 of 191140 subscriptions per 100 people#16 of 47 in Asia
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#23 of 1858.32 tonnes a person#14 of 47 in Asia
- Forest area#32 of 19258% forest#7 of 47 in Asia
- Renewable energy#153 of 1907.5% renewable#26 of 47 in Asia
- Access to electricity#1 of 192100.0% with electricity#1 of 47 in Asia
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#109 of 19115.9 µg/m³#42 of 47 in Asia
- Protected land#127 of 19113.3% of the land protected#27 of 47 in Asia
- Arable land#154 of 1902.6% of the land arable#35 of 47 in Asia
- Water stress#136 of 1763.4% of its available fresh water#44 of 47 in Asia
- Precipitation#8 of 1802,875 mm a year#1 of 47 in Asia
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of Malaysia’s area, lit up on the map →
- Vietnam1.0×Malaysia and Vietnam are almost exactly the same size.
- Finland0.98×Malaysia and Finland are almost exactly the same size.
- Côte d'Ivoire1.03×Malaysia and Côte d'Ivoire are almost exactly the same size.
- Congo0.97×Malaysia is 3% smaller than Congo.
- Philippines0.96×Malaysia is 4% smaller than Philippines.
- Poland1.06×Malaysia is 6% larger than Poland.
How many times does Malaysia fit into…
- Russia: about 52 times
- Canada: about 30 times
- United States: about 30 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes Malaysia shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Summits
- Mount Kinabalu4,095 m
- Mount Tahan2,187 m
- Bukit Pagon1,850 m
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside Malaysia. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Neighbours
Questions about Malaysia
- How big is Malaysia?
- Malaysia covers 330,803 km², which makes it number 68 of 194 countries by area. About 35,977,838 people live there (2025), 109 per km².
- Is Malaysia bigger than Vietnam?
- Malaysia and Vietnam are almost exactly the same size. Malaysia: 330,803 km²; Vietnam: 331,690 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Malaysia?
- Malaysia lies close to the equator, so Mercator draws it at nearly its true size. It is the countries far from the equator that Mercator inflates.
- Which countries border Malaysia?
- Malaysia shares a land border with Indonesia, Thailand, Brunei.