Malaysia
Country in Asia
CountryScope
In brief
Population: 36M (2025). World rank 45 of 216; in Asia, 19 of 49. Area: 330,803 km². World rank 69 of 249; in Asia, 20 of 50. GDP: $472.2B (2025). World rank 34 of 210; in Asia, 14 of 47. From 2015 to 2025: population 31.2M → 36M, GDP $301.4B → $472.2B, and GDP per person $9,649 → $13,125. Better than all its neighbours (Brunei, Indonesia, and Thailand): life expectancy.
State
- Official name
- Malaysia
- Local name
- Malaysia
- Capital
- Kuala Lumpur
- Region
- Asia
- Form of government
- Federal parliamentary monarchy
- UN member
- Yes
- Head of state
- Ibrahim Iskandar of Johor
- Head of government
- Anwar Ibrahim
- Independence
- August 31, 1957
- Women in parliament
- 13.5% 2025
Key figures
- Population
- 35,977,838 2025
- Area
- 330,803 km²
- GDP
- $472.2B 2025
- GDP per person
- $13,125 2025
- Life expectancy
- 76.8 years 2024
Practical information
- Languages
- English, Malay
- Currency
- Malaysian Ringgit (MYR)
- Time zones
- UTC+8
- Calling code
- +60
- Emergency numbers
- 999
- Driving side
- Left
- Plug types
- G
- Mains voltage
- 240 V
Territory
- Sea access
- Has a coastline
- Coastline, km
- 4,675
- Neighbours
- Brunei, Indonesia, Thailand
- Agricultural land
- 24.8% 2024
Elevation
- Highest point
- Mount Kinabalu, 4,095 m
- Lowest point
- Indian Ocean, 0 m
- Mean elevation, m
- 419
Climate
- Average temperature in the capital, °C
- 25
- Warmest month in the capital
- May, 26°C
- Coldest month in the capital
- January, 25°C
- Precipitation, mm per year
- 2,875 2022
Population and migration
- Population density
- 108.8 per km² 2025
- Population growth per year
- +1.2% 2025
- Living in cities
- 77.4% 2025
- Net migration per year
- +166.6K 2025
- Born in another country
- 10.7% 2024
Age and life expectancy
- Aged 0–14
- 21.3% 2025
- Aged 15–64
- 70.7% 2025
- Aged 65 and over
- 8% 2025
- Life expectancy, women
- 79.5 years 2024
- Life expectancy, men
- 74.5 years 2024
Births and deaths
- Children per woman
- 1.5 2024
- Births per 1,000 people
- 12.4 2024
- Deaths per 1,000 people
- 5.3 2024
Society
- Religions
- Muslim 63.5%, Buddhist 18.7%, Christian 9.1%, and Hindu 6.1% (2020)
Quality of governance (100 = best)
- Rule of law, score 0–100
- 65.4 2025
- Control of corruption, score 0–100
- 59.4 2025
- Government effectiveness, score 0–100
- 71.9 2025
- Regulatory quality, score 0–100
- 67.3 2025
- Voice and accountability, score 0–100
- 55.8 2025
Size and growth
- GDP per person at purchasing power parity
- $41,498 2025
- GDP growth per year
- +5.2% 2025
Income and prices
- Income level (World Bank)
- Upper-middle income
- Gross national income per person
- $12,380 2025
- Inflation
- +1.4% 2025
- Price level, USA = 100
- 32 2025
Structure and jobs
- Agriculture, share of GDP
- 8.2% 2025
- Industry, share of GDP
- 35.7% 2025
- Services, share of GDP
- 54.8% 2025
- Unemployment
- 3.8% 2025
- Youth unemployment, ages 15–24
- 12% 2025
- Women in work or seeking work
- 51.6% 2025
Trade and finance
- Exports, share of GDP
- 71% 2025
- Imports, share of GDP
- 65.4% 2025
- Current account balance, share of GDP
- +1.6% 2025
- Foreign direct investment, share of GDP
- +4.6% 2025
- Remittances received, share of GDP
- 1.9% 2025
- Tax revenue, share of GDP
- 12.4% 2024
Poverty and inequality
- Gini index (0 = full equality)
- 40.7 2021
- Living on under $3 a day
- 0% 2021
Education
- Adult literacy
- 95.8% 2022
- Primary school enrolment
- 90.4% 2024
- Secondary school enrolment
- 80.3% 2024
- Higher education enrolment
- 38.5% 2024
- Public spending on education, share of GDP
- 3.5% 2023
Healthcare
- Health spending, share of GDP
- 4% 2023
- Health spending per person
- $450 2023
- Out-of-pocket health spending, share of total
- 37.1% 2023
- Doctors per 1,000 people
- 2.3 2023
- Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people
- 4.1 2023
- Hospital beds per 1,000 people
- 2 2023
- Children vaccinated against measles
- 96% 2024
Public health
- Infant deaths per 1,000 births
- 7 2024
- Deaths under age 5 per 1,000 births
- 8.3 2024
- Maternal deaths per 100,000 births
- 26 2023
- HIV prevalence, ages 15–49
- 0.3% 2024
- Diabetes prevalence, ages 20–79
- 21.1% 2024
- Overweight adults
- 54.9% 2022
- Adults who use tobacco
- 16.9% 2024
Living conditions
- Access to safe drinking water
- 97.9% 2024
- Access to basic sanitation
- 96% 2024
- Access to clean cooking fuels
- 100% 2024
Safety
- Homicides per 100,000 people
- 0.7 2023
- Road deaths per 100,000 people
- 22.5 2019
- Suicides per 100,000 people
- 5.7 2021
- Political stability and absence of violence, score 0–100
- 71.6 2025
- Natural hazards
- floods, landslides, and wildfires
Air and emissions
- Air pollution PM2.5, µg/m³
- 15.9 2023
- CO₂ emissions, tonnes per person
- 8.3 2024
- All greenhouse gases, tonnes CO₂e per person
- 9.3 2024
Nature and water
- Forest cover
- 57.7% 2024
- Protected areas
- 8.4% 2025
- Renewable fresh water, m³ per person
- 16,717 2022
- Water stress, share of fresh water withdrawn
- 3.4% 2022
Internet and communications
- Using the internet
- 98% 2024
- Mobile subscriptions per 100 people
- 140 2024
- Home broadband per 100 people
- 13.6 2024
- Internet domain
- .my
Energy
- Access to electricity
- 100% 2024
- Electricity use, kWh per person
- 5,418 2024
- Renewable share of energy use
- 7.5% 2021
- Electricity from renewables
- 17% 2021
- Electricity from fossil fuels
- 79.9% 2024
Transport
- Air passengers per year
- 46,698,381 2023
- Airports
- 100 2025
- Railways, km
- 1,851 2014
Science and innovation
- Research spending, share of GDP
- 1% 2022
- Researchers per million people
- 1,218 2022
- Scientific articles per year
- 23,691 2023
- Patent applications by residents
- 841 2024
- High-tech share of manufactured exports
- 58.6% 2024