Finland vs Malaysia
Finland and Malaysia are almost exactly the same size.
FinlandMalaysiaFinland moved onto Malaysia · Equal-area projection
1.02×
Finland is 1.02× the area of Malaysia.
 Finland |  Malaysia | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaAbout the same area | 338,478 km²#66 of 194 | 330,803 km²#68 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 3 | 3 |
| People | ||
| PopulationMalaysia: 6.37× the population | 5,646,436#117 of 194 · 2025 | 35,977,838#45 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityMalaysia: 6.52× the density | 17 / km²#174 of 194 | 109 / km²#81 of 194 |
| Urban populationMalaysia: 1.04× the urban share | 75%#59 of 192 · 2025 | 77%#52 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateMalaysia: 1.23× the births per woman | 1.25 per woman#171 of 192 · 2024 | 1.54 per woman#131 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthMalaysia: 0.70 points higher | +0.47%#128 of 192 · 2025 | +1.17%#87 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateMalaysia: 1.59× the birth rate | 7.8 per 1,000#173 of 192 · 2024 | 12.4 per 1,000#109 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateFinland: 1.96× the death rate | 10.4 per 1,000#29 of 192 · 2024 | 5.3 per 1,000#162 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Malaysia: 7.0 points higher | 14.3%#174 of 192 · 2025 | 21.3%#107 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Finland: 16.2 points higher | 24.2%#6 of 192 · 2025 | 8.0%#95 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationMalaysia: 1.4 per 1,000 higher | +3.2 per 1,000#29 of 192 · 2025 | +4.6 per 1,000#22 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroad | 0.00 per 1,000#174 of 190 · 2025 | 0.07 per 1,000#126 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyFinland: 5.5 years longer | 82.3 years#24 of 192 · 2024 | 76.8 years#67 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityMalaysia: 3.68× the infant mortality | 1.9 per 1,000 births#184 of 191 · 2024 | 7.0 per 1,000 births#132 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsFinland: 1.54× the doctors per person | 3.61 per 1,000#41 of 178 · 2021 | 2.34 per 1,000#77 of 178 · 2023 |
| University enrolmentFinland: 2.86× the university enrolment | 110.3%#4 of 145 · 2024 | 38.5%#91 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexFinland: 0.129 higher | 0.948#11 of 190 · 2023 | 0.819#66 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaFinland: 4.46× the income per person | $55,250#18 of 185 · 2025 | $12,380#73 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPMalaysia: 1.49× the economy | $317.04B2025 | $472.19B2025 |
| Income group | High income | Upper-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Finland: 1.59× the output per person | $65,884#25 of 184 · 2025 | $41,498#54 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthMalaysia: 5.0 points higher | +0.2%#172 of 187 · 2025 | +5.2%#43 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationMalaysia: 1.1 points higher | +0.3%#156 of 176 · 2025 | +1.4%#133 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentFinland: 2.5× the unemployment | 9.5%#36 of 178 · 2025 | 3.8%#115 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | 0.2%#121 of 149 · 2023 | 0.0%#136 of 149 · 2021 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Malaysia: 13.3 higher | 27.4#133 of 149 · 2023 | 40.7#33 of 149 · 2021 |
| Jobs in agricultureMalaysia: 5.7 points higher | 3.5% of jobs#142 of 178 · 2025 | 9.2% of jobs#112 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryMalaysia: 5.2 points higher | 20.8% of jobs#71 of 178 · 2025 | 26.0% of jobs#35 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesFinland: 10.8 points higher | 75.7% of jobs#28 of 178 · 2025 | 64.9% of jobs#72 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentMalaysia: 4.5 points higher | 0.1% of GDP#158 of 184 · 2025 | 4.6% of GDP#40 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsMalaysia: 28.7 points higher | 42.3% of GDP#62 of 168 · 2025 | 71.0% of GDP#24 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingFinland: 2.47× the military spending | 2.6% of GDP#39 of 155 · 2025 | 1.0% of GDP#111 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersMalaysia: 1.05× the share online | 94%#35 of 184 · 2024 | 98%#12 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsMalaysia: 1.11× the mobile subscriptions | 126 per 100#64 of 191 · 2024 | 140 per 100#36 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaFinland: 1.29× the forest share | 74% of land#11 of 192 · 2024 | 58% of land#32 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personMalaysia: 1.5× the CO₂ per person | 5.54 t a year#42 of 185 · 2024 | 8.32 t a year#23 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyFinland: 42.7 points higher | 50.2%#48 of 190 · 2021 | 7.5%#153 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Malaysia: 3.46× the air pollution | 4.6 µg/m³#187 of 191 · 2023 | 15.9 µg/m³#109 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landFinland: 0.6 points higher | 13.9% of land#124 of 191 · 2025 | 13.3% of land#127 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landFinland: 4.8 points higher | 7.4% of land#113 of 190 · 2024 | 2.6% of land#154 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressFinland: 2.09× the water stress | 7.1%#105 of 176 · 2022 | 3.4%#136 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationMalaysia: 5.36× the rain and snow | 536 mm#139 of 180 · 2022 | 2,875 mm#8 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityFinland: 0.62 higher | +0.96#38 of 193 · 2025 | +0.34#77 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionFinland: 1.58 higher | +2.14#2 of 193 · 2025 | +0.56#55 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateFinland: 1.43× the homicide rate | 1.0 per 100,000#107 of 146 · 2023 | 0.7 per 100,000#123 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Parliamentary republic | Constitutional monarchyfederal parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
| Member of | EU, NATO, Euro area, Schengen Area, OECD | ASEAN |
| Capital | Helsinki | Kuala Lumpur |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | Malaysian ringgit (MYR) |
| Official languages | Swedish, Finnish | Malay |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC+2, summer time UTC+3 | UTC+8 |
| Calling code | +358 | +60 |
| Region | Northern Europe, Europe | South-Eastern Asia, Asia |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Finland sits at about 64° N and is stretched to 5.3× its true area; Malaysia at 4° N is stretched to 1.0×. That difference is why Finland looks so much bigger than it is next to Malaysia. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Finland bigger than Malaysia?
- Yes. Finland and Malaysia are almost exactly the same size. Finland covers 338,478 km² and Malaysia covers 330,803 km².
- How many times does Malaysia fit into Finland?
- About 1.0 times: Finland has 1.02× the area of Malaysia.
- Why do Finland and Malaysia look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Finland is drawn about 5.3× its true area there and Malaysia about 1.0×. That is why Finland looks so much bigger than it really is next to Malaysia. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Finland or Malaysia?
- Malaysia: 35,977,838 people against 5,646,436. Density: Finland 17 per km², Malaysia 109 per km².
- Which is richer, Finland or Malaysia?
- By gross national income per person, Finland: $55,250 against $12,380 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 4.46× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Finland or Malaysia?
- In Finland: life expectancy at birth is 82.3 years, against 76.8 — 5.5 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Finland and Malaysia have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Finland: parliamentary republic; Malaysia: constitutional monarchy.