Laos vs Malawi

Laos is 100% larger than Malawi. Malawi would fit into Laos about 2.0 times.

LaosMalawiLaos moved onto Malawi · Equal-area projection
2.0×
Laos is 2.0× the area of Malawi.
LaosMalawi
Area236,800 km²118,484 km²
Population7,873,04622,216,120
Density33 / km²188 / km²
CapitalVientianeLilongwe
RegionSouth-Eastern AsiaEastern Africa
CoastlineLandlockedLandlocked
Neighbours53

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Laos sits at about 18°N and is stretched to 1.11× its true area; Malawi at 13° S is stretched to 1.06×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.

Questions about this pair

Is Laos bigger than Malawi?
Yes. Laos is 100% larger than Malawi. Laos covers 236,800 km² and Malawi covers 118,484 km².
How many times does Malawi fit into Laos?
About 2.0 times: Laos has 2.0× the area of Malawi.
Why do Laos and Malawi look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Laos is drawn about 1.11× its true area there and Malawi about 1.06×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Which has more people, Laos or Malawi?
Malawi: 22,216,120 people against 7,873,046. Density: Laos 33 per km², Malawi 188 per km².