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Malaysia
South-Eastern Asia
At a glance
CapitalKuala Lumpur
Most common first languageMalay55% speak it as a mother tongue
Official languageMalay
CurrencyMalaysian ringgit
Drives on theleft
Highest pointMount Kinabalu4,095 m
Biggest category of goods exportedmanufactured goods70% of goods exports, 2024
Services share of exports17.7%of everything sold abroad, 2024
Internet domain.my
Malaysia by the numbers
Rank is out of the countries with data for that measure. Every figure is the latest year the source publishes.
| Measure | Value | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| PopulationEveryone living in the country, all ages, counted mid-year. | 36.0m (2025) | 45th of 209 |
| GDPThe total value of everything the country produces in a year, at current prices. | $472bn (2025) | 34th of 203 |
| Land areaTotal land area, excluding inland water and offshore territory. | 329k km² (2023) | 66th of 209 |
| Military spending, totalWhat the government spends on its armed forces in a year — pay, equipment and operations. | $4.31bn (2024) | 49th of 151 |
| Exports of goods & servicesThe value of everything the country sells abroad in a year, goods and services combined. | $335bn (2025) | 29th of 180 |
| Mobile subscriptionsActive mobile phone subscriptions — NOT the same as people. Many people hold two, so a country can have more subscriptions than residents. | 49.7m (2024) | 38th of 205 |
| Forest areaLand under natural or planted trees, whether or not it is productive. | 190k km² (2023) | 32nd of 203 |
| Agricultural landCropland, land under permanent crops, and permanent pasture. | 85.7k km² (2023) | 77th of 206 |
| COâ‚‚ emissionsCarbon dioxide released in a year, in millions of tonnes. | 296 Mt (2024) | 19th of 198 |
| Urban populationThe number of people living in urban areas, as each country defines them. | 27.8m (2025) | 35th of 209 |
| Life expectancyHow long a baby born today would live if death rates never changed. | 76.8 years (2024) | 79th of 209 |
| GDP per personEverything the country produces in a year, divided by its population. | $13,125 (2025) | 88th of 205 |
| Internet useThe share of people who have used the internet in the last three months. | 98.0% (2024) | 12th of 191 |
| InflationHow much prices rose over the year, measured on a basket of consumer goods. | 1.4% (2025) | 139th of 182 |
| UnemploymentThe share of people who want a job and are looking for one but do not have one. | 3.8% (2025) | 122nd of 185 |
| Urban shareThe share of the population living in urban areas. | 77.4% (2025) | 63rd of 209 |
| Births per womanHow many children a woman would have across her life at current birth rates. | 1.54 (2024) | 142nd of 209 |
| Military spending, share of GDPWhat the country spends on its armed forces, as a share of everything it produces. | 0.99% of GDP (2024) | 114th of 155 |
| Trade opennessImports plus exports as a share of GDP. Above 100% is normal for small trading economies. | 136.4% of GDP (2025) | 29th of 183 |
| COâ‚‚ per personCarbon dioxide from fuel and industry, divided by the population. | 8.23 t (2024) | 26th of 198 |
| Human Development IndexThe UN’s combined measure of health, education and income, on a scale from 0 to 1. | 0.819 (2023) | 67th of 193 |
Land borders
Across the water
Close by sea, with no shared land border.
Malaysia shares these with other countries
Drives on the left 60Has a coast and land neighbours 115Has malay as its most common first language 2Has malay as an official language 3Is a constitutional monarchy 40Is a member of the commonwealth 55Is a member of asean 10Mainly exports manufactured goods 83Is in south-eastern asia 11
Keep going
Country data from the World Bank (CC BY 4.0) and the UNDP Human Development Report (CC BY 3.0 IGO)
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