Malaysia vs New Zealand

Malaysia is 23% larger than New Zealand.

MalaysiaNew ZealandMalaysia moved onto New Zealand · Equal-area projection
1.23×
Malaysia is 1.23× the area of New Zealand.
MalaysiaNew Zealand
Area330,803 km²268,021 km²
Population35,977,8385,324,700
Density109 / km²20 / km²
CapitalKuala LumpurWellington
RegionSouth-Eastern AsiaAustralia and New Zealand
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours30

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Malaysia sits at about 4°N and is stretched to 1.0× its true area; New Zealand at 42° S is stretched to 1.79×. That difference is why New Zealand 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 Malaysia bigger than New Zealand?
Yes. Malaysia is 23% larger than New Zealand. Malaysia covers 330,803 km² and New Zealand covers 268,021 km².
How many times does New Zealand fit into Malaysia?
About 1.2 times: Malaysia has 1.23× the area of New Zealand.
Why do Malaysia and New Zealand look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Malaysia is drawn about 1.0× its true area there and New Zealand about 1.79×. That is why New Zealand 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, Malaysia or New Zealand?
Malaysia: 35,977,838 people against 5,324,700. Density: Malaysia 109 per km², New Zealand 20 per km².