Malaysia vs Philippines
Philippines is 4% larger than Malaysia.
MalaysiaPhilippinesMalaysia moved onto Philippines · Equal-area projection
0.96×
Malaysia is 0.96× the area of Philippines. Put the other way, Philippines is 1.04× the size of Malaysia.
 Malaysia |  Philippines | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaPhilippines: 1.04× the area | 330,803 km²#68 of 194 | 343,448 km²#64 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Coast, no land border |
| Land neighbours | 3 | 0 |
| People | ||
| PopulationPhilippines: 3.25× the population | 35,977,838#45 of 194 · 2025 | 116,786,962#14 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityPhilippines: 3.13× the density | 109 / km²#81 of 194 | 340 / km²#23 of 194 |
| Urban populationMalaysia: 1.39× the urban share | 77%#52 of 192 · 2025 | 56%#119 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility ratePhilippines: 1.23× the births per woman | 1.54 per woman#131 of 192 · 2024 | 1.89 per woman#101 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthMalaysia: 0.36 points higher | +1.17%#87 of 192 · 2025 | +0.81%#108 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth ratePhilippines: 1.28× the birth rate | 12.4 per 1,000#109 of 192 · 2024 | 15.9 per 1,000#94 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death ratePhilippines: 1.21× the death rate | 5.3 per 1,000#162 of 192 · 2024 | 6.4 per 1,000#125 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Philippines: 5.8 points higher | 21.3%#107 of 192 · 2025 | 27.1%#82 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Malaysia: 2.3 points higher | 8.0%#95 of 192 · 2025 | 5.7%#115 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationMalaysia: 5.9 per 1,000 higher | +4.6 per 1,000#22 of 192 · 2025 | −1.3 per 1,000#124 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadMalaysia: 7.0× the refugees for its size | 0.07 per 1,000#126 of 190 · 2025 | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyMalaysia: 6.9 years longer | 76.8 years#67 of 192 · 2024 | 69.9 years#131 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityPhilippines: 3.1× the infant mortality | 7.0 per 1,000 births#132 of 191 · 2024 | 21.7 per 1,000 births#65 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsMalaysia: 2.96× the doctors per person | 2.34 per 1,000#77 of 178 · 2023 | 0.79 per 1,000#111 of 178 · 2021 |
| University enrolmentPhilippines: 1.23× the university enrolment | 38.5%#91 of 145 · 2024 | 47.4%#80 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexMalaysia: 0.099 higher | 0.819#66 of 190 · 2023 | 0.720#116 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaMalaysia: 2.55× the income per person | $12,380#73 of 185 · 2025 | $4,850#115 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPPhilippines: 1.03× the economy | $472.19B2025 | $487.09B2025 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Malaysia: 3.3× the output per person | $41,498#54 of 184 · 2025 | $12,577#118 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthMalaysia: 0.8 points higher | +5.2%#43 of 187 · 2025 | +4.4%#58 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationPhilippines: 0.3 points higher | +1.4%#133 of 176 · 2025 | +1.7%#127 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentMalaysia: 1.73× the unemployment | 3.8%#115 of 178 · 2025 | 2.2%#158 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | 0.0%#136 of 149 · 2021 | 5.3%#53 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Malaysia: 1.4 higher | 40.7#33 of 149 · 2021 | 39.3#43 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agriculturePhilippines: 11.3 points higher | 9.2% of jobs#112 of 178 · 2025 | 20.5% of jobs#82 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryMalaysia: 6.0 points higher | 26.0% of jobs#35 of 178 · 2025 | 20.0% of jobs#77 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesMalaysia: 5.4 points higher | 64.9% of jobs#72 of 178 · 2025 | 59.5% of jobs#85 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentMalaysia: 2.9 points higher | 4.6% of GDP#40 of 184 · 2025 | 1.7% of GDP#105 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsMalaysia: 44.4 points higher | 71.0% of GDP#24 of 168 · 2025 | 26.6% of GDP#111 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingPhilippines: 1.25× the military spending | 1.0% of GDP#111 of 155 · 2025 | 1.3% of GDP#99 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersMalaysia: 1.46× the share online | 98%#12 of 184 · 2024 | 67%#125 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsMalaysia: 1.22× the mobile subscriptions | 140 per 100#36 of 191 · 2024 | 115 per 100#96 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaMalaysia: 2.33× the forest share | 58% of land#32 of 192 · 2024 | 25% of land#109 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personMalaysia: 5.55× the CO₂ per person | 8.32 t a year#23 of 185 · 2024 | 1.50 t a year#115 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyPhilippines: 20.5 points higher | 7.5%#153 of 190 · 2021 | 28.0%#84 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityMalaysia: 5.2 points higher | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 94.8%#132 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Philippines: 1.4× the air pollution | 15.9 µg/m³#109 of 191 · 2023 | 22.2 µg/m³#70 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landPhilippines: 2.7 points higher | 13.3% of land#127 of 191 · 2025 | 16.0% of land#109 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landPhilippines: 16.1 points higher | 2.6% of land#154 of 190 · 2024 | 18.7% of land#58 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressPhilippines: 8.18× the water stress | 3.4%#136 of 176 · 2022 | 27.8%#58 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationMalaysia: 1.22× the rain and snow | 2,875 mm#8 of 180 · 2022 | 2,348 mm#18 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityMalaysia: 1.18 higher | +0.34#77 of 193 · 2025 | −0.84#158 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionMalaysia: 1.13 higher | +0.56#55 of 193 · 2025 | −0.57#126 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide ratePhilippines: 6.14× the homicide rate | 0.7 per 100,000#123 of 146 · 2023 | 4.3 per 100,000#54 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Constitutional monarchyfederal parliamentary constitutional monarchy | Presidential republic |
| Member of | ASEAN | ASEAN |
| Capital | Kuala Lumpur | Manila |
| Currency | Malaysian ringgit (MYR) | Philippine peso (PHP) |
| Official languages | Malay | English, Filipino, Taglish |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+8 | UTC+8 |
| Calling code | +60 | +63 |
| Region | South-Eastern Asia, Asia | 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. Malaysia sits at about 4° N and is stretched to 1.0× its true area; Philippines at 12° N is stretched to 1.04×. 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 Malaysia bigger than Philippines?
- No. Malaysia is 4% smaller than Philippines. Malaysia covers 330,803 km² and Philippines covers 343,448 km².
- How many times does Malaysia fit into Philippines?
- About 1.0 times: Philippines has 1.04× the area of Malaysia.
- Why do Malaysia and Philippines 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 Philippines about 1.04×. 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, Malaysia or Philippines?
- Philippines: 116,786,962 people against 35,977,838. Density: Malaysia 109 per km², Philippines 340 per km².
- Which is richer, Malaysia or Philippines?
- By gross national income per person, Malaysia: $12,380 against $4,850 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 2.55× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Malaysia or Philippines?
- In Malaysia: life expectancy at birth is 76.8 years, against 69.9 — 6.9 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Malaysia and Philippines have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Malaysia: constitutional monarchy; Philippines: presidential republic.