Malaysia’s coastline is 70 times as long as Belgium’s

Belgium: 67 km (2026 edition) · Malaysia: 4,675 km (2026 edition)

Malaysia’s highest peak towers 3,401 m above Belgium’s

Belgium: 694 m (2026 edition) · Malaysia: 4,095 m (2026 edition)

Farmland covers 44% of Belgium, versus 25% of Malaysia

Belgium: 44.4% (2024) · Malaysia: 24.8% (2024)

Malaysia has 3 times as many people as Belgium

Belgium: 11.9 million (2025) · Malaysia: 36 million (2025)

Belgium is 3.6 times as densely populated as Malaysia

Belgium: 392 per km² (2025) · Malaysia: 110 per km² (2025)

The typical person in Belgium is 11 years older than in Malaysia

Belgium: 41.4 years (2023) · Malaysia: 30.1 years (2023)

Women in Malaysia have 0.1 more children on average than in Belgium

Belgium: 1.44 children per woman (2024) · Malaysia: 1.54 children per woman (2024)

21% of people in Belgium are 65 or older, versus 8.0% in Malaysia

Belgium: 21% (2025) · Malaysia: 8% (2025)

Belgium hosts 3.7 times as many refugees per resident as Malaysia

Belgium: 15.6 per 1,000 (2025) · Malaysia: 4.2 per 1,000 (2025)

Belgium has produced 8.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Malaysia none

Belgium: 8.4 (2026) · Malaysia: 0 (2026)

Belgium has 3 official languages, Malaysia 2

Belgium: 3 (2026) · Malaysia: 2 (2026)

Belgium’s economy is 54% larger than Malaysia’s

Belgium: $725 billion (2025) · Malaysia: $472 billion (2025)

Belgium produces 80% more per person than Malaysia

Belgium: Int$74,676 (2025) · Malaysia: Int$41,498 (2025)

Income is more unequally shared in Malaysia than in Belgium (Gini 13.9 points higher)

Belgium: 26.8 (2023) · Malaysia: 40.7 (2021)

Belgium and Malaysia are practically level

Belgium: 0.1% (2023) · Malaysia: 0% (2021)

Unemployment is 5.9% in Belgium, versus 3.8% in Malaysia

Belgium: 5.9% (2025) · Malaysia: 3.8% (2025)

Belgium spends 2.0% of its GDP on the military, Malaysia 1.0%

Belgium: 2% (2025) · Malaysia: 1% (2025)

Belgium’s central government collects 23% of GDP in tax, Malaysia’s 12%

Belgium: 23% (2024) · Malaysia: 12.4% (2024)

Belgium’s price level (US = 100) is 2.6× Malaysia’s

Belgium: 81% (2025) · Malaysia: 32% (2025)

Belgium spends 13 times as much on health per person as Malaysia

Belgium: $5,931 (2023) · Malaysia: $450 (2023)

A baby in Malaysia is 2.3 times as likely to die before turning one as in Belgium

Belgium: 3.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Malaysia: 7 per 1,000 (2024)

Belgium has 53% more doctors per person than Malaysia

Belgium: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Malaysia: 2.3 per 1,000 (2023)

Belgium has 2.8 times as many hospital beds per person as Malaysia

Belgium: 5.4 per 1,000 (2023) · Malaysia: 2 per 1,000 (2023)

The suicide rate in Belgium is 3 times that in Malaysia

Belgium: 15.1 per 100k (2023) · Malaysia: 5 per 100k (2023)

24% of adults in Malaysia are obese, versus 23% in Belgium

Belgium: 22.9% (2024) · Malaysia: 23.6% (2024)

24% of adults in Belgium smoke, versus 17% in Malaysia

Belgium: 23.5% (2024) · Malaysia: 16.9% (2024)

People in Belgium rate their lives 0.92 points higher than in Malaysia

Belgium: 6.93 (2025) · Malaysia: 6.01 (2025)

Adults in Belgium drink 12 times as much alcohol as in Malaysia

Belgium: 9.5 litres (2023) · Malaysia: 0.8 litres (2023)

Malaysia has 15% more meat per person than Belgium

Belgium: 60 kg (2023) · Malaysia: 69.1 kg (2023)

Belgium has 995 kcal more food per person per day than Malaysia

Belgium: 3,921 kcal (2023) · Malaysia: 2,927 kcal (2023)

Workers in Malaysia put in 714 more hours a year than in Belgium

Belgium: 1,593 hours (2023) · Malaysia: 2,308 hours (2023)

Adults in Belgium went to school 1.6 years longer than in Malaysia

Belgium: 12.7 years (2023) · Malaysia: 11.1 years (2023)

Belgium welcomed 2.8 times as many tourists per resident as Malaysia (2019)

Belgium: 0.81 (2024) · Malaysia: 0.29 (2022)

Belgium has 10 more World Heritage sites than Malaysia (16 against 6)

Belgium: 16 (2026) · Malaysia: 6 (2026)

Belgium has won 177 Olympic medals, Malaysia 15

Belgium: 177 (2026 edition) · Malaysia: 15 (2026 edition)

98% of people in Malaysia are online, versus 96% in Belgium

Belgium: 96% (2024) · Malaysia: 98% (2024)

Home internet in Malaysia is 6% faster than in Belgium

Belgium: 254 Mbps (2026) · Malaysia: 269 Mbps (2026)

Belgium and Malaysia are practically level

Belgium: 100% (2024) · Malaysia: 100% (2024)

88% of people in Belgium live in cities, versus 77% in Malaysia

Belgium: 88% (2025) · Malaysia: 77% (2025)

Malaysia has 140 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Belgium 104

Belgium: 104 (2024) · Malaysia: 140 (2024)

Belgium’s railway network is 2.2 times as long as Malaysia’s

Belgium: 3,612 km (2021) · Malaysia: 1,655 km (2021)

Airlines from Malaysia fly 36% more passengers per resident than those from Belgium

Belgium: 0.95 (2023) · Malaysia: 1.3 (2023)

Forest covers 58% of Malaysia, but only 22% of Belgium

Belgium: 22% (2024) · Malaysia: 57.7% (2024)

The average person in Malaysia emits 12% more CO₂ than someone in Belgium

Belgium: 7.3 t (2024) · Malaysia: 8.2 t (2024)

39% of Belgium’s electricity is renewable, versus 21% in Malaysia

Belgium: 38.9% (2025) · Malaysia: 20.7% (2025)

The air in Malaysia carries 65% more fine dust than in Belgium

Belgium: 9.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Malaysia: 15.3 µg/m³ (2024)

You are 47% more likely to be murdered in Belgium than in Malaysia

Belgium: 1.1 per 100k (2021) · Malaysia: 0.7 per 100k (2023)

Roads in Malaysia are 2.4 times as deadly as in Belgium

Belgium: 6.8 per 100k (2023) · Malaysia: 16.2 per 100k (2023)

Malaysia is on average 14.9 °C warmer than Belgium

Belgium: 11°C (2016–2025 avg) · Malaysia: 26°C (2016–2025 avg)

Malaysia gets 3.3 times as much rain as Belgium

Belgium: 928 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Malaysia: 3,081 mm (2016–2025 avg)