Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Malaysia fits inside Brazil 26 times
Brazil: 8,510,420 km² (2024) · Malaysia: 330,534 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Brazil’s coastline is 60% longer than Malaysia’s
Brazil: 7,491 km (2026 edition) · Malaysia: 4,675 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Malaysia’s highest peak towers 1,101 m above Brazil’s
Brazil: 2,994 m (2026 edition) · Malaysia: 4,095 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 28% of Brazil, versus 25% of Malaysia
Brazil: 28.4% (2024) · Malaysia: 24.8% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Brazil has 5.9 times as many people as Malaysia
Brazil: 213 million (2025) · Malaysia: 36 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Malaysia is 4.3 times as densely populated as Brazil
Brazil: 25 per km² (2025) · Malaysia: 110 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Brazil are 6.5 cm taller than in Malaysia
Brazil: 175.7 cm (2019) · Malaysia: 169.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Brazil are 5.3 cm taller than in Malaysia
Brazil: 162.4 cm (2019) · Malaysia: 157.1 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Brazil is 3.9 years older than in Malaysia
Brazil: 33.9 years (2023) · Malaysia: 30.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Brazil have 0.1 more children on average than in Malaysia
Brazil: 1.61 children per woman (2024) · Malaysia: 1.54 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
11% of people in Brazil are 65 or older, versus 8.0% in Malaysia
Brazil: 11.5% (2025) · Malaysia: 8% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Malaysia hosts 3.2 times as many refugees per resident as Brazil
Brazil: 1.3 per 1,000 (2025) · Malaysia: 4.2 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Brazil has produced 0.0 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Malaysia none
Brazil: 0.047 (2026) · Malaysia: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Malaysia has 2 official languages, Brazil 1
Brazil: 1 (2026) · Malaysia: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Brazil’s economy is 4.8 times the size of Malaysia’s
Brazil: $2.28 trillion (2025) · Malaysia: $472 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Malaysia produces 77% more per person than Brazil
Brazil: Int$23,433 (2025) · Malaysia: Int$41,498 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Brazil than in Malaysia (Gini 9.6 points higher)
Brazil: 50.3 (2024) · Malaysia: 40.7 (2021)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
3.0% of people in Brazil live on less than $3 a day, versus 0% in Malaysia
Brazil: 3% (2024) · Malaysia: 0% (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 6.0% in Brazil, versus 3.8% in Malaysia
Brazil: 6% (2025) · Malaysia: 3.8% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Brazil and Malaysia are practically level
Brazil: 1.1% (2025) · Malaysia: 1% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Brazil’s central government collects 15% of GDP in tax, Malaysia’s 12%
Brazil: 15.4% (2024) · Malaysia: 12.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Brazil’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× Malaysia’s
Brazil: 46% (2025) · Malaysia: 32% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Brazil spends 2.2 times as much on health per person as Malaysia
Brazil: $1,010 (2023) · Malaysia: $450 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Malaysia live 0.8 years longer than in Brazil
Brazil: 76 years (2024) · Malaysia: 76.8 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Brazil is 76% more likely to die before turning one than in Malaysia
Brazil: 12.3 per 1,000 (2024) · Malaysia: 7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Brazil and Malaysia are nearly identical here
Brazil: 2.4 per 1,000 (2023) · Malaysia: 2.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Brazil has 29% more hospital beds per person than Malaysia
Brazil: 2.5 per 1,000 (2021) · Malaysia: 2 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Brazil is 76% higher than in Malaysia
Brazil: 8.8 per 100k (2023) · Malaysia: 5 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
31% of adults in Brazil are obese, versus 24% in Malaysia
Brazil: 30.9% (2024) · Malaysia: 23.6% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
17% of adults in Malaysia smoke, versus 12% in Brazil
Brazil: 11.9% (2024) · Malaysia: 16.9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Brazil rate their lives 0.63 points higher than in Malaysia
Brazil: 6.63 (2025) · Malaysia: 6.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Brazil drink 13 times as much alcohol as in Malaysia
Brazil: 10.4 litres (2023) · Malaysia: 0.8 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Brazil has 51% more meat per person than Malaysia
Brazil: 104.6 kg (2023) · Malaysia: 69.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Brazil has 497 kcal more food per person per day than Malaysia
Brazil: 3,423 kcal (2023) · Malaysia: 2,927 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Malaysia put in 314 more hours a year than in Brazil
Brazil: 1,994 hours (2023) · Malaysia: 2,308 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Malaysia went to school 2.7 years longer than in Brazil
Brazil: 8.4 years (2023) · Malaysia: 11.1 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Malaysia welcomed 9.1 times as many tourists per resident as Brazil (2019)
Brazil: 0.03 (2024) · Malaysia: 0.29 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
Brazil has 20 more World Heritage sites than Malaysia (26 against 6)
Brazil: 26 (2026) · Malaysia: 6 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Brazil has won 171 Olympic medals, Malaysia 15
Brazil: 171 (2026 edition) · Malaysia: 15 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in Malaysia are online, versus 84% in Brazil
Brazil: 84% (2024) · Malaysia: 98% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Brazil is 9% faster than in Malaysia
Brazil: 293 Mbps (2026) · Malaysia: 269 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Malaysia and Brazil are practically level
Brazil: 99.8% (2024) · Malaysia: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
88% of people in Brazil live in cities, versus 77% in Malaysia
Brazil: 88% (2025) · Malaysia: 77% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Malaysia has 140 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Brazil 102
Brazil: 102 (2024) · Malaysia: 140 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Brazil’s railway network is 18 times as long as Malaysia’s
Brazil: 29,850 km (2014) · Malaysia: 1,655 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Malaysia fly 2.9 times as many passengers per resident as those from Brazil
Brazil: 0.45 (2023) · Malaysia: 1.3 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 59% of Brazil, but only 58% of Malaysia
Brazil: 58.5% (2024) · Malaysia: 57.7% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Malaysia emits 3.6 times as much CO₂ as someone in Brazil
Brazil: 2.3 t (2024) · Malaysia: 8.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
87% of Brazil’s electricity is renewable, versus 21% in Malaysia
Brazil: 86.6% (2025) · Malaysia: 20.7% (2025)
How clean is the air?
Brazil and Malaysia are nearly identical here
Brazil: 15.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Malaysia: 15.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 26 times as likely to be murdered in Brazil as in Malaysia
Brazil: 19.3 per 100k (2023) · Malaysia: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Brazil are 60% deadlier than in Malaysia
Brazil: 25.9 per 100k (2023) · Malaysia: 16.2 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Malaysia is on average 0.7 °C warmer than Brazil
Brazil: 25.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · Malaysia: 26°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Malaysia gets 86% more rain than Brazil
Brazil: 1,661 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 Brazil bigger than Malaysia?
Brazil is larger. Malaysia fits inside Brazil 26 times.
Which has more people, Brazil or Malaysia?
Brazil has 5.9 times as many people as Malaysia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Brazil or Malaysia?
People in Malaysia live 0.8 years longer than in Brazil. Life expectancy at birth is 76.0 years in Brazil and 76.8 in Malaysia.
Are people taller in Brazil or Malaysia?
Men in Brazil are 6.5 cm taller than in Malaysia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
