Malaysia vs Vietnam
Vietnam and Malaysia are almost exactly the same size.
MalaysiaVietnamMalaysia moved onto Vietnam · Equal-area projection
1.0×
Malaysia is 1.0× the area of Vietnam. Put the other way, Vietnam is 1.0× the size of Malaysia.
 Malaysia |  Vietnam | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaAbout the same area | 330,803 km²#68 of 194 | 331,690 km²#67 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 3 | 3 |
| People | ||
| PopulationVietnam: 2.82× the population | 35,977,838#45 of 194 · 2025 | 101,598,527#16 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityVietnam: 2.82× the density | 109 / km²#81 of 194 | 306 / km²#27 of 194 |
| Urban populationMalaysia: 1.99× the urban share | 77%#52 of 192 · 2025 | 39%#152 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateVietnam: 1.23× the births per woman | 1.54 per woman#131 of 192 · 2024 | 1.90 per woman#100 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthMalaysia: 0.57 points higher | +1.17%#87 of 192 · 2025 | +0.60%#120 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateVietnam: 1.08× the birth rate | 12.4 per 1,000#109 of 192 · 2024 | 13.4 per 1,000#102 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateVietnam: 1.25× the death rate | 5.3 per 1,000#162 of 192 · 2024 | 6.6 per 1,000#117 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Vietnam: 1.6 points higher | 21.3%#107 of 192 · 2025 | 22.9%#104 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Vietnam: 1.5 points higher | 8.0%#95 of 192 · 2025 | 9.5%#82 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationMalaysia: 5.1 per 1,000 higher | +4.6 per 1,000#22 of 192 · 2025 | −0.5 per 1,000#100 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadVietnam: 2.86× the refugees for its size | 0.07 per 1,000#126 of 190 · 2025 | 0.20 per 1,000#102 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyMalaysia: 2.1 years longer | 76.8 years#67 of 192 · 2024 | 74.7 years#87 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityVietnam: 1.71× the infant mortality | 7.0 per 1,000 births#132 of 191 · 2024 | 12.0 per 1,000 births#100 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsMalaysia: 2.11× the doctors per person | 2.34 per 1,000#77 of 178 · 2023 | 1.11 per 1,000#105 of 178 · 2021 |
| University enrolmentAbout the same university enrolment | 38.5%#91 of 145 · 2024 | 37.6%#95 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexMalaysia: 0.053 higher | 0.819#66 of 190 · 2023 | 0.766#92 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaMalaysia: 2.49× the income per person | $12,380#73 of 185 · 2025 | $4,970#114 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPVietnam: 1.09× the economy | $472.19B2025 | $514.7B2025 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Malaysia: 2.29× the output per person | $41,498#54 of 184 · 2025 | $18,088#100 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthVietnam: 2.8 points higher | +5.2%#43 of 187 · 2025 | +8.0%#11 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationVietnam: 1.9 points higher | +1.4%#133 of 176 · 2025 | +3.3%#81 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentMalaysia: 2.53× the unemployment | 3.8%#115 of 178 · 2025 | 1.5%#168 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | 0.0%#136 of 149 · 2021 | 1.6%#77 of 149 · 2022 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Malaysia: 4.6 higher | 40.7#33 of 149 · 2021 | 36.1#61 of 149 · 2022 |
| Jobs in agricultureVietnam: 15.8 points higher | 9.2% of jobs#112 of 178 · 2025 | 25.0% of jobs#73 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryVietnam: 8.8 points higher | 26.0% of jobs#35 of 178 · 2025 | 34.8% of jobs#5 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesMalaysia: 24.8 points higher | 64.9% of jobs#72 of 178 · 2025 | 40.1% of jobs#147 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentMalaysia: 0.3 points higher | 4.6% of GDP#40 of 184 · 2025 | 4.3% of GDP#43 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsVietnam: 27.2 points higher | 71.0% of GDP#24 of 168 · 2025 | 98.2% of GDP#8 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingVietnam: 2.07× the military spending | 1.0% of GDP#111 of 155 · 2025 | 2.1% of GDP#53 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersMalaysia: 1.16× the share online | 98%#12 of 184 · 2024 | 84%#81 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsMalaysia: 1.09× the mobile subscriptions | 140 per 100#36 of 191 · 2024 | 128 per 100#58 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaMalaysia: 1.23× the forest share | 58% of land#32 of 192 · 2024 | 47% of land#53 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personMalaysia: 1.95× the CO₂ per person | 8.32 t a year#23 of 185 · 2024 | 4.27 t a year#56 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyVietnam: 16.7 points higher | 7.5%#153 of 190 · 2021 | 24.2%#94 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Vietnam: 1.56× the air pollution | 15.9 µg/m³#109 of 191 · 2023 | 24.8 µg/m³#62 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landMalaysia: 5.7 points higher | 13.3% of land#127 of 191 · 2025 | 7.6% of land#157 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landVietnam: 18.9 points higher | 2.6% of land#154 of 190 · 2024 | 21.5% of land#51 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressVietnam: 5.32× the water stress | 3.4%#136 of 176 · 2022 | 18.1%#70 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationMalaysia: 1.58× the rain and snow | 2,875 mm#8 of 180 · 2022 | 1,821 mm#40 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityMalaysia: 0.22 higher | +0.34#77 of 193 · 2025 | +0.12#93 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionMalaysia: 0.67 higher | +0.56#55 of 193 · 2025 | −0.11#85 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 | One-party statecommunist party-led state |
| Member of | ASEAN | ASEAN |
| Capital | Kuala Lumpur | Hanoi |
| Currency | Malaysian ringgit (MYR) | Vietnamese đồng (VND) |
| Official languages | Malay | Vietnamese |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+8 | UTC+7 |
| Calling code | +60 | +84 |
| 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; Vietnam at 17° N is stretched to 1.09×. 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 Vietnam?
- No. Malaysia and Vietnam are almost exactly the same size. Malaysia covers 330,803 km² and Vietnam covers 331,690 km².
- How many times does Malaysia fit into Vietnam?
- About 1.0 times: Vietnam has 1.0× the area of Malaysia.
- Why do Malaysia and Vietnam 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 Vietnam about 1.09×. 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 Vietnam?
- Vietnam: 101,598,527 people against 35,977,838. Density: Malaysia 109 per km², Vietnam 306 per km².
- Which is richer, Malaysia or Vietnam?
- By gross national income per person, Malaysia: $12,380 against $4,970 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 2.49× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Malaysia or Vietnam?
- In Malaysia: life expectancy at birth is 76.8 years, against 74.7 — 2.1 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Malaysia and Vietnam have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Malaysia: constitutional monarchy; Vietnam: one-party state.