Malaysia vs Russia
Russia is 51.6 times larger than Malaysia. Malaysia would fit into Russia about 52 times.
MalaysiaRussiaMalaysia moved onto Russia · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
0.02×
Malaysia is 0.02× the area of Russia. Put the other way, Russia is 51.6× the size of Malaysia.
 Malaysia |  Russia | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaRussia: 51.6× the area | 330,803 km²#68 of 194 | 17,075,400 km²#1 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 3 | 14 |
| People | ||
| PopulationRussia: 3.99× the population | 35,977,838#45 of 194 · 2025 | 143,513,328#9 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityMalaysia: 12.9× the density | 109 / km²#81 of 194 | 8.4 / km²#183 of 194 |
| Urban populationAbout the same urban share | 77%#52 of 192 · 2025 | 75%#57 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateMalaysia: 1.08× the births per woman | 1.54 per woman#131 of 192 · 2024 | 1.42 per woman#154 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthMalaysia: 1.28 points higher | +1.17%#87 of 192 · 2025 | −0.11%#163 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateMalaysia: 1.48× the birth rate | 12.4 per 1,000#109 of 192 · 2024 | 8.4 per 1,000#163 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateRussia: 2.34× the death rate | 5.3 per 1,000#162 of 192 · 2024 | 12.4 per 1,000#15 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Malaysia: 4.3 points higher | 21.3%#107 of 192 · 2025 | 17.0%#142 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Russia: 9.8 points higher | 8.0%#95 of 192 · 2025 | 17.8%#42 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationMalaysia: 6.4 per 1,000 higher | +4.6 per 1,000#22 of 192 · 2025 | −1.8 per 1,000#137 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadRussia: 9.86× the refugees for its size | 0.07 per 1,000#126 of 190 · 2025 | 0.69 per 1,000#68 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyMalaysia: 3.4 years longer | 76.8 years#67 of 192 · 2024 | 73.4 years#101 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityMalaysia: 1.71× the infant mortality | 7.0 per 1,000 births#132 of 191 · 2024 | 4.1 per 1,000 births#150 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsRussia: 2.18× the doctors per person | 2.34 per 1,000#77 of 178 · 2023 | 5.11 per 1,000#8 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentRussia: 1.57× the university enrolment | 38.5%#91 of 145 · 2024 | 60.4%#56 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexRussia: 0.013 higher | 0.819#66 of 190 · 2023 | 0.832#63 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaRussia: 1.29× the income per person | $12,380#73 of 185 · 2025 | $15,960#63 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPRussia: 5.42× the economy | $472.19B2025 | $2.56T2025 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Russia: 1.19× the output per person | $41,498#54 of 184 · 2025 | $49,568#45 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthMalaysia: 4.2 points higher | +5.2%#43 of 187 · 2025 | +1.0%#156 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationRussia: 7.3 points higher | +1.4%#133 of 176 · 2025 | +8.7%#25 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentMalaysia: 1.81× the unemployment | 3.8%#115 of 178 · 2025 | 2.1%#161 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | 0.0%#136 of 149 · 2021 | 0.1%#126 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Malaysia: 7.7 higher | 40.7#33 of 149 · 2021 | 33.0#94 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureMalaysia: 4.1 points higher | 9.2% of jobs#112 of 178 · 2025 | 5.1% of jobs#130 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryMalaysia: 0.2 points higher | 26.0% of jobs#35 of 178 · 2025 | 25.8% of jobs#39 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesRussia: 4.2 points higher | 64.9% of jobs#72 of 178 · 2025 | 69.1% of jobs#56 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentMalaysia: 4.2 points higher | 4.6% of GDP#40 of 184 · 2025 | 0.4% of GDP#150 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsMalaysia: 52.8 points higher | 71.0% of GDP#24 of 168 · 2025 | 18.2% of GDP#138 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingRussia: 7.21× the military spending | 1.0% of GDP#111 of 155 · 2025 | 7.5% of GDP#4 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersMalaysia: 1.04× the share online | 98%#12 of 184 · 2024 | 94%#28 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsRussia: 1.33× the mobile subscriptions | 140 per 100#36 of 191 · 2024 | 186 per 100#5 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaMalaysia: 1.14× the forest share | 58% of land#32 of 192 · 2024 | 51% of land#47 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personRussia: 1.68× the CO₂ per person | 8.32 t a year#23 of 185 · 2024 | 14.0 t a year#12 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyMalaysia: 4.0 points higher | 7.5%#153 of 190 · 2021 | 3.5%#162 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Malaysia: 1.37× the air pollution | 15.9 µg/m³#109 of 191 · 2023 | 11.6 µg/m³#141 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landMalaysia: 1.8 points higher | 13.3% of land#127 of 191 · 2025 | 11.5% of land#138 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landRussia: 4.8 points higher | 2.6% of land#154 of 190 · 2024 | 7.4% of land#113 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressRussia: 1.21× the water stress | 3.4%#136 of 176 · 2022 | 4.1%#129 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationMalaysia: 6.25× the rain and snow | 2,875 mm#8 of 180 · 2022 | 460 mm#145 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityMalaysia: 1.28 higher | +0.34#77 of 193 · 2025 | −0.94#165 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionMalaysia: 1.54 higher | +0.56#55 of 193 · 2025 | −0.98#153 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateRussia: 9.71× the homicide rate | 0.7 per 100,000#123 of 146 · 2023 | 6.8 per 100,000#38 of 146 · 2021 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Constitutional monarchyfederal parliamentary constitutional monarchy | Semi-presidential republicsemi-presidential federation |
| Member of | ASEAN | G20, BRICS |
| Capital | Kuala Lumpur | Moscow |
| Currency | Malaysian ringgit (MYR) | Russian ruble (RUB) |
| Official languages | Malay | Russian, Ukrainian, Azerbaijani, Tatar, Bashkir, Chechen, Chuvash, Ossetian, Crimean Tatar, Yakut, Avar, Udmurt, Tuvan, Erzya, Adyghe, Komi, Buryat, Lezgian, Karachay-Balkar, Ingush, Mari, Moksha, Kabardian, Abaza, Kalmyk, Khakas, Lak, Kumyk, Nogai, Rutulian, Tabasaran, Tat, Aghul, Tsakhur, Dargwa, Southern Altai |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+8 | UTC+3 · UTC+2 to UTC+12, 11 time zones |
| Calling code | +60 | +7 |
| Region | South-Eastern Asia, Asia | Eastern Europe, Europe |
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; Russia at 66° N is stretched to 6.06×. That difference is why Russia 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 Russia?
- No. Malaysia is 51.6 times smaller than Russia. Malaysia covers 330,803 km² and Russia covers 17,075,400 km².
- How many times does Malaysia fit into Russia?
- About 52 times: Russia has 51.6× the area of Malaysia.
- Why do Malaysia and Russia 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 Russia about 6.06×. That is why Russia 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 Russia?
- Russia: 143,513,328 people against 35,977,838. Density: Malaysia 109 per km², Russia 8.4 per km².
- Which is richer, Malaysia or Russia?
- By gross national income per person, Russia: $15,960 against $12,380 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.29× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Malaysia or Russia?
- In Malaysia: life expectancy at birth is 76.8 years, against 73.4 — 3.4 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Malaysia and Russia have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Malaysia: constitutional monarchy; Russia: semi-presidential republic.