Malaysia vs Thailand
Thailand is 55% larger than Malaysia. Malaysia would fit into Thailand about 1.6 times.
MalaysiaThailandMalaysia moved onto Thailand · Equal-area projection
0.64×
Malaysia is 0.64× the area of Thailand. Put the other way, Thailand is 1.55× the size of Malaysia.
 Malaysia |  Thailand | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaThailand: 1.55× the area | 330,803 km²#68 of 194 | 513,120 km²#49 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 3 | 4 |
| People | ||
| PopulationThailand: 1.99× the population | 35,977,838#45 of 194 · 2025 | 71,619,863#20 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityThailand: 1.28× the density | 109 / km²#81 of 194 | 140 / km²#64 of 194 |
| Urban populationMalaysia: 1.23× the urban share | 77%#52 of 192 · 2025 | 63%#99 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateMalaysia: 1.28× the births per woman | 1.54 per woman#131 of 192 · 2024 | 1.20 per woman#178 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthMalaysia: 1.24 points higher | +1.17%#87 of 192 · 2025 | −0.07%#161 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateMalaysia: 1.53× the birth rate | 12.4 per 1,000#109 of 192 · 2024 | 8.1 per 1,000#169 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateThailand: 1.7× the death rate | 5.3 per 1,000#162 of 192 · 2024 | 9.0 per 1,000#52 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Malaysia: 6.9 points higher | 21.3%#107 of 192 · 2025 | 14.4%#171 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Thailand: 8.0 points higher | 8.0%#95 of 192 · 2025 | 16.0%#51 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationMalaysia: 4.2 per 1,000 higher | +4.6 per 1,000#22 of 192 · 2025 | +0.4 per 1,000#60 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroad | 0.07 per 1,000#126 of 190 · 2025 | 0.00 per 1,000#174 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyMalaysia: 0.2 years longer | 76.8 years#67 of 192 · 2024 | 76.6 years#70 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityThailand: 1.1× the infant mortality | 7.0 per 1,000 births#132 of 191 · 2024 | 7.7 per 1,000 births#126 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsMalaysia: 4.33× the doctors per person | 2.34 per 1,000#77 of 178 · 2023 | 0.54 per 1,000#126 of 178 · 2021 |
| University enrolmentThailand: 1.28× the university enrolment | 38.5%#91 of 145 · 2024 | 49.1%#76 of 145 · 2025 |
| Human Development IndexMalaysia: 0.021 higher | 0.819#66 of 190 · 2023 | 0.798#75 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaMalaysia: 1.61× the income per person | $12,380#73 of 185 · 2025 | $7,690#91 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPThailand: 1.22× the economy | $472.19B2025 | $577.01B2025 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Malaysia: 1.58× the output per person | $41,498#54 of 184 · 2025 | $26,250#75 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthMalaysia: 2.8 points higher | +5.2%#43 of 187 · 2025 | +2.4%#121 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationMalaysia: 1.5 points higher | +1.4%#133 of 176 · 2025 | −0.1%#164 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentMalaysia: 4.75× the unemployment | 3.8%#115 of 178 · 2025 | 0.8%#175 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | 0.0%#136 of 149 · 2021 | 0.0%#136 of 149 · 2024 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Malaysia: 7.4 higher | 40.7#33 of 149 · 2021 | 33.3#93 of 149 · 2024 |
| Jobs in agricultureThailand: 19.4 points higher | 9.2% of jobs#112 of 178 · 2025 | 28.6% of jobs#64 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryMalaysia: 3.8 points higher | 26.0% of jobs#35 of 178 · 2025 | 22.2% of jobs#63 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesMalaysia: 15.7 points higher | 64.9% of jobs#72 of 178 · 2025 | 49.2% of jobs#125 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentMalaysia: 1.4 points higher | 4.6% of GDP#40 of 184 · 2025 | 3.2% of GDP#61 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsThailand: 0.1 points higher | 71.0% of GDP#24 of 168 · 2025 | 71.1% of GDP#23 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingAbout the same military spending | 1.0% of GDP#111 of 155 · 2025 | 1.0% of GDP#111 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersMalaysia: 1.08× the share online | 98%#12 of 184 · 2024 | 91%#51 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsThailand: 1.15× the mobile subscriptions | 140 per 100#36 of 191 · 2024 | 161 per 100#18 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaMalaysia: 1.49× the forest share | 58% of land#32 of 192 · 2024 | 39% of land#71 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personMalaysia: 2.1× the CO₂ per person | 8.32 t a year#23 of 185 · 2024 | 3.96 t a year#64 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyThailand: 11.5 points higher | 7.5%#153 of 190 · 2021 | 19.0%#110 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Thailand: 1.48× the air pollution | 15.9 µg/m³#109 of 191 · 2023 | 23.5 µg/m³#66 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landThailand: 5.1 points higher | 13.3% of land#127 of 191 · 2025 | 18.4% of land#91 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landThailand: 28.2 points higher | 2.6% of land#154 of 190 · 2024 | 30.8% of land#27 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressThailand: 6.76× the water stress | 3.4%#136 of 176 · 2022 | 23.0%#63 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationMalaysia: 1.77× the rain and snow | 2,875 mm#8 of 180 · 2022 | 1,622 mm#50 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityMalaysia: 0.90 higher | +0.34#77 of 193 · 2025 | −0.56#146 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionMalaysia: 1.06 higher | +0.56#55 of 193 · 2025 | −0.50#118 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | 0.7 per 100,000#123 of 146 · 2023 | — |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Constitutional monarchyfederal parliamentary constitutional monarchy | Constitutional monarchy |
| Member of | ASEAN | ASEAN |
| Capital | Kuala Lumpur | Bangkok |
| Currency | Malaysian ringgit (MYR) | Thai baht (THB) |
| Official languages | Malay | Thai |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC+8 | UTC+7 |
| Calling code | +60 | +66 |
| 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; Thailand at 15° N is stretched to 1.07×. 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 Thailand?
- No. Malaysia is 36% smaller than Thailand. Malaysia covers 330,803 km² and Thailand covers 513,120 km².
- How many times does Malaysia fit into Thailand?
- About 1.6 times: Thailand has 1.55× the area of Malaysia.
- Why do Malaysia and Thailand 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 Thailand about 1.07×. 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 Thailand?
- Thailand: 71,619,863 people against 35,977,838. Density: Malaysia 109 per km², Thailand 140 per km².
- Which is richer, Malaysia or Thailand?
- By gross national income per person, Malaysia: $12,380 against $7,690 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.61× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Malaysia or Thailand?
- In Malaysia: life expectancy at birth is 76.8 years, against 76.6 — 0.2 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Malaysia and Thailand have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: constitutional monarchy (CIA World Factbook).