Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Bangladesh fits inside Malaysia 2.2 times.
Bangladesh: 147,570 km² (2023) · Malaysia: 330,411 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Malaysia’s coastline is 8.1 times as long as Bangladesh’s.
Bangladesh: 580 km (2026 edition) · Malaysia: 4,675 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Malaysia’s highest peak towers 3,035 m above Bangladesh’s.
Bangladesh: 1,060 m (2026 edition) · Malaysia: 4,095 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Bangladesh has 4.9 times as many people as Malaysia.
Bangladesh: 176 million (2025) · Malaysia: 36 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Bangladesh is 12 times as densely populated as Malaysia.
Bangladesh: 1,352 per km² (2025) · Malaysia: 110 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Malaysia are 4.1 cm taller than in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 165.1 cm (2019) · Malaysia: 169.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Malaysia are 4.7 cm taller than in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 152.4 cm (2019) · Malaysia: 157.1 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Malaysia is 4.7 years older than in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 25.3 years (2023) · Malaysia: 30.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Bangladesh have 0.6 more children on average than in Malaysia.
Bangladesh: 2.14 children per woman (2024) · Malaysia: 1.54 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.0% of people in Malaysia are 65 or older, versus 6.7% in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 6.7% (2025) · Malaysia: 8% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Bangladesh has produced 0.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Malaysia 0.0.
Bangladesh: 0.1 (2025) · Malaysia: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Malaysia has 2 official languages, Bangladesh 1.
Bangladesh: 1 (2026) · Malaysia: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Malaysia’s economy is 3% larger than Bangladesh’s.
Bangladesh: $456 billion (2025) · Malaysia: $472 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Malaysia produces 4.1 times as much per person as Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: Int$10,154 (2025) · Malaysia: Int$41,498 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Malaysia than in Bangladesh (Gini 9.8 points higher).
Bangladesh: 30.9 (2022) · Malaysia: 40.7 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Bangladesh and Malaysia are practically level.
Bangladesh: 3.8% (2025) · Malaysia: 3.8% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Malaysia and Bangladesh are practically level.
Bangladesh: 0.9% (2024) · Malaysia: 1% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Malaysia’s price level (US = 100) is 1.2× Bangladesh’s.
Bangladesh: 26% (2025) · Malaysia: 32% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Malaysia spends 8.4 times as much on health per person as Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: $53 (2023) · Malaysia: $450 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Malaysia live 1.9 years longer than in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 74.9 years (2024) · Malaysia: 76.8 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Bangladesh is 3.5 times as likely to die before turning one as in Malaysia.
Bangladesh: 24.4 per 1,000 (2024) · Malaysia: 7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Malaysia has 3.2 times as many doctors per person as Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 0.7 per 1,000 (2023) · Malaysia: 2.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
24% of adults in Malaysia are obese, versus 5.7% in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 5.7% (2024) · Malaysia: 23.6% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
32% of adults in Bangladesh smoke, versus 17% in Malaysia.
Bangladesh: 32% (2024) · Malaysia: 16.9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Malaysia rate their lives 1.69 points higher than in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 4.32 (2025) · Malaysia: 6.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Malaysia drink 278 times as much alcohol as in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 0.0029 litres (2023) · Malaysia: 0.8 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Malaysia has 15 times as much meat per person as Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 4.5 kg (2023) · Malaysia: 69.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Malaysia has 339 kcal more food per person per day than Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 2,588 kcal (2023) · Malaysia: 2,927 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Bangladesh put in 76 more hours a year than in Malaysia.
Bangladesh: 2,383 hours (2023) · Malaysia: 2,308 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Malaysia went to school 4.3 years longer than in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 6.8 years (2023) · Malaysia: 11.1 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Malaysia welcomed 148 times as many tourists per resident as Bangladesh (2019).
Bangladesh: 0 (2019) · Malaysia: 0.29 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in Malaysia are online, versus 53% in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 53% (2024) · Malaysia: 98% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Malaysia have electricity, versus 100% in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 99.5% (2024) · Malaysia: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
77% of people in Malaysia live in cities, versus 33% in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 33% (2025) · Malaysia: 77% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Malaysia has 140 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Bangladesh 108.
Bangladesh: 108 (2024) · Malaysia: 140 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Bangladesh’s railway network is 74% longer than Malaysia’s.
Bangladesh: 2,877 km (2019) · Malaysia: 1,655 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Malaysia fly 34 times as many passengers per resident as those from Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 0.04 (2023) · Malaysia: 1.3 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 58% of Malaysia, but only 14% of Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 14.5% (2023) · Malaysia: 57.7% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Malaysia emits 13 times as much CO₂ as someone in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 0.6 t (2024) · Malaysia: 8.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
21% of Malaysia’s electricity is renewable, versus 2.1% in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 2.1% (2025) · Malaysia: 20.7% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Bangladesh carries 4.2 times as much fine dust as in Malaysia.
Bangladesh: 65 µg/m³ (2024) · Malaysia: 15.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 3.2 times as likely to be murdered in Bangladesh as in Malaysia.
Bangladesh: 2.3 per 100k (2018) · Malaysia: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Bangladesh are 34% deadlier than in Malaysia.
Bangladesh: 18.6 per 100k (2021) · Malaysia: 13.9 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Malaysia is on average 0.2 °C warmer than Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 25.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Malaysia: 26°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Malaysia gets 47% more rain than Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 2,096 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Malaysia: 3,081 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Bangladesh bigger than Malaysia?
Malaysia is larger. Bangladesh fits inside Malaysia 2.2 times.
Which has more people, Bangladesh or Malaysia?
Bangladesh has 4.9 times as many people as Malaysia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Bangladesh or Malaysia?
People in Malaysia live 1.9 years longer than in Bangladesh. Life expectancy at birth is 74.9 years in Bangladesh and 76.8 in Malaysia.
Are people taller in Bangladesh or Malaysia?
Men in Malaysia are 4.1 cm taller than in Bangladesh (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
