Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Malaysia fits inside Argentina 8.4 times
Argentina: 2,780,400 km² (2024) · Malaysia: 330,534 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Argentina’s coastline is 7% longer than Malaysia’s
Argentina: 4,989 km (2026 edition) · Malaysia: 4,675 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Argentina’s highest peak towers 2,867 m above Malaysia’s
Argentina: 6,962 m (2026 edition) · Malaysia: 4,095 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 30% of Argentina, versus 25% of Malaysia
Argentina: 29.5% (2024) · Malaysia: 24.8% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Argentina has 27% more people than Malaysia
Argentina: 45.9 million (2025) · Malaysia: 36 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Malaysia is 6.5 times as densely populated as Argentina
Argentina: 17 per km² (2025) · Malaysia: 110 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Argentina are 5.6 cm taller than in Malaysia
Argentina: 174.8 cm (2019) · Malaysia: 169.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Argentina are 4.2 cm taller than in Malaysia
Argentina: 161.2 cm (2019) · Malaysia: 157.1 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Argentina is 2.1 years older than in Malaysia
Argentina: 32.1 years (2023) · Malaysia: 30.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Malaysia and Argentina are practically level
Argentina: 1.5 children per woman (2024) · Malaysia: 1.54 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
13% of people in Argentina are 65 or older, versus 8.0% in Malaysia
Argentina: 12.6% (2025) · Malaysia: 8% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Malaysia hosts 39 times as many refugees per resident as Argentina
Argentina: 0.1 per 1,000 (2025) · Malaysia: 4.2 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Argentina has produced 0.9 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Malaysia none
Argentina: 0.9 (2026) · Malaysia: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Argentina and Malaysia are practically level
Argentina: 2 (2026) · Malaysia: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Argentina’s economy is 45% larger than Malaysia’s
Argentina: $683 billion (2025) · Malaysia: $472 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Malaysia produces 27% more per person than Argentina
Argentina: Int$32,587 (2025) · Malaysia: Int$41,498 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Argentina than in Malaysia (Gini 1.7 points higher)
Argentina: 42.4 (2024) · Malaysia: 40.7 (2021)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
1.0% of people in Argentina live on less than $3 a day, versus 0% in Malaysia
Argentina: 1% (2024) · Malaysia: 0% (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 7.1% in Argentina, versus 3.8% in Malaysia
Argentina: 7.1% (2025) · Malaysia: 3.8% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Malaysia and Argentina are practically level
Argentina: 0.6% (2025) · Malaysia: 1% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Malaysia’s central government collects 12% of GDP in tax, Argentina’s 10%
Argentina: 10.4% (2024) · Malaysia: 12.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Argentina’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× Malaysia’s
Argentina: 46% (2025) · Malaysia: 32% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Argentina spends 3.2 times as much on health per person as Malaysia
Argentina: $1,457 (2023) · Malaysia: $450 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Argentina live 0.72 years longer than in Malaysia
Argentina: 77.5 years (2024) · Malaysia: 76.8 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Argentina is 14% more likely to die before turning one than in Malaysia
Argentina: 8 per 1,000 (2024) · Malaysia: 7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Argentina has 2.2 times as many doctors per person as Malaysia
Argentina: 5.1 per 1,000 (2023) · Malaysia: 2.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Argentina has 71% more hospital beds per person than Malaysia
Argentina: 3.4 per 1,000 (2022) · Malaysia: 2 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Argentina is 2.2 times that in Malaysia
Argentina: 11.2 per 100k (2023) · Malaysia: 5 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
38% of adults in Argentina are obese, versus 24% in Malaysia
Argentina: 38.1% (2024) · Malaysia: 23.6% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
24% of adults in Argentina smoke, versus 17% in Malaysia
Argentina: 23.5% (2024) · Malaysia: 16.9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Argentina rate their lives 0.42 points higher than in Malaysia
Argentina: 6.43 (2025) · Malaysia: 6.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Argentina drink 8.8 times as much alcohol as in Malaysia
Argentina: 7.1 litres (2023) · Malaysia: 0.8 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Argentina has 66% more meat per person than Malaysia
Argentina: 115 kg (2023) · Malaysia: 69.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Argentina has 434 kcal more food per person per day than Malaysia
Argentina: 3,360 kcal (2023) · Malaysia: 2,927 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Malaysia put in 695 more hours a year than in Argentina
Argentina: 1,612 hours (2023) · Malaysia: 2,308 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Argentina went to school 0.09 years longer than in Malaysia
Argentina: 11.2 years (2023) · Malaysia: 11.1 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Malaysia welcomed 2 times as many tourists per resident as Argentina (2019)
Argentina: 0.14 (2024) · Malaysia: 0.29 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
Argentina has 6 more World Heritage sites than Malaysia (12 against 6)
Argentina: 12 (2026) · Malaysia: 6 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Argentina has won 80 Olympic medals, Malaysia 15
Argentina: 80 (2026 edition) · Malaysia: 15 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in Malaysia are online, versus 90% in Argentina
Argentina: 90% (2024) · Malaysia: 98% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Malaysia is 40% faster than in Argentina
Argentina: 192 Mbps (2026) · Malaysia: 269 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Malaysia have electricity, versus 98% in Argentina
Argentina: 98.4% (2024) · Malaysia: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
92% of people in Argentina live in cities, versus 77% in Malaysia
Argentina: 92% (2025) · Malaysia: 77% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Argentina and Malaysia are practically level
Argentina: 140 (2024) · Malaysia: 140 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Argentina’s railway network is 11 times as long as Malaysia’s
Argentina: 17,866 km (2019) · Malaysia: 1,655 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Malaysia fly 2.8 times as many passengers per resident as those from Argentina
Argentina: 0.46 (2023) · Malaysia: 1.3 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 58% of Malaysia, but only 17% of Argentina
Argentina: 17.1% (2024) · Malaysia: 57.7% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Malaysia emits 2.2 times as much CO₂ as someone in Argentina
Argentina: 3.7 t (2024) · Malaysia: 8.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
35% of Argentina’s electricity is renewable, versus 21% in Malaysia
Argentina: 34.6% (2025) · Malaysia: 20.7% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Malaysia carries 6% more fine dust than in Argentina
Argentina: 14.5 µg/m³ (2024) · Malaysia: 15.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 6.1 times as likely to be murdered in Argentina as in Malaysia
Argentina: 4.5 per 100k (2023) · Malaysia: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Argentina and Malaysia are nearly identical here
Argentina: 16.3 per 100k (2023) · Malaysia: 16.2 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Malaysia is on average 10.9 °C warmer than Argentina
Argentina: 15.1°C (2016–2025 avg) · Malaysia: 26°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Malaysia gets 4.6 times as much rain as Argentina
Argentina: 670 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Malaysia: 3,081 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Argentina bigger than Malaysia?
Argentina is larger. Malaysia fits inside Argentina 8.4 times.
Which has more people, Argentina or Malaysia?
Argentina has 27% more people than Malaysia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Argentina or Malaysia?
People in Argentina live 0.72 years longer than in Malaysia. Life expectancy at birth is 77.5 years in Argentina and 76.8 in Malaysia.
Are people taller in Argentina or Malaysia?
Men in Argentina are 5.6 cm taller than in Malaysia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
