Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Brunei fits inside Malaysia 57 times.
Brunei: 5,770 km² (2023) · Malaysia: 330,411 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Malaysia’s coastline is 29 times as long as Brunei’s.
Brunei: 161 km (2026 edition) · Malaysia: 4,675 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Malaysia’s highest peak towers 2,245 m above Brunei’s.
Brunei: 1,850 m (2026 edition) · Malaysia: 4,095 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Malaysia has 77 times as many people as Brunei.
Brunei: 466,330 (2025) · Malaysia: 36 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Malaysia is 24% more densely populated than Brunei.
Brunei: 88 per km² (2025) · Malaysia: 110 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Malaysia are 2.9 cm taller than in Brunei.
Brunei: 166.3 cm (2019) · Malaysia: 169.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Malaysia are 2.2 cm taller than in Brunei.
Brunei: 154.9 cm (2019) · Malaysia: 157.1 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Brunei is 1.7 years older than in Malaysia.
Brunei: 31.8 years (2023) · Malaysia: 30.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Brunei have 0.2 more children on average than in Malaysia.
Brunei: 1.73 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 7.2% in Brunei.
Brunei: 7.2% (2025) · Malaysia: 8% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Brunei: no data · Malaysia: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Malaysia has 2 official languages, Brunei 1.
Brunei: 1 (2026) · Malaysia: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Malaysia’s economy is 31 times the size of Brunei’s.
Brunei: $15 billion (2025) · Malaysia: $472 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Brunei produces 2.2 times as much per person as Malaysia.
Brunei: Int$92,430 (2025) · Malaysia: Int$41,498 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Brunei: no data · Malaysia: 40.7 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.3% in Brunei, versus 3.8% in Malaysia.
Brunei: 5.3% (2025) · Malaysia: 3.8% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Brunei spends 3.6% of its GDP on the military, Malaysia 1.0%.
Brunei: 3.6% (2024) · Malaysia: 1% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Brunei’s price level (US = 100) is 1.1× Malaysia’s.
Brunei: 35% (2025) · Malaysia: 32% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Brunei spends 63% more on health per person than Malaysia.
Brunei: $733 (2023) · Malaysia: $450 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Malaysia live 1.3 years longer than in Brunei.
Brunei: 75.5 years (2024) · Malaysia: 76.8 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Brunei is 23% more likely to die before turning one than in Malaysia.
Brunei: 8.6 per 1,000 (2024) · Malaysia: 7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Malaysia has 24% more doctors per person than Brunei.
Brunei: 1.9 per 1,000 (2021) · Malaysia: 2.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
38% of adults in Brunei are obese, versus 24% in Malaysia.
Brunei: 37.7% (2024) · Malaysia: 23.6% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
17% of adults in Malaysia smoke, versus 15% in Brunei.
Brunei: 14.5% (2024) · Malaysia: 16.9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
Brunei: no data · Malaysia: 6.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Brunei: no data · Malaysia: 0.8 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Brunei: no data · Malaysia: 69.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Brunei: no data · Malaysia: 2,927 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Brunei: no data · Malaysia: 2,308 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Malaysia went to school 1.8 years longer than in Brunei.
Brunei: 9.3 years (2023) · Malaysia: 11.1 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Brunei welcomed 2.6 times as many tourists per resident as Malaysia (2019).
Brunei: 0.75 (2019) · Malaysia: 0.29 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in Malaysia are online, versus 96% in Brunei.
Brunei: 96% (2024) · Malaysia: 98% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Brunei and Malaysia are practically level.
Brunei: 100% (2024) · Malaysia: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
77% of people in Malaysia live in cities, versus 75% in Brunei.
Brunei: 75% (2025) · Malaysia: 77% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Malaysia has 140 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Brunei 118.
Brunei: 118 (2024) · Malaysia: 140 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Brunei: no data · Malaysia: 1,655 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Brunei fly 36% more passengers per resident than those from Malaysia.
Brunei: 1.76 (2023) · Malaysia: 1.3 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 72% of Brunei, but only 58% of Malaysia.
Brunei: 72.1% (2023) · Malaysia: 57.7% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Brunei emits 3.2 times as much CO₂ as someone in Malaysia.
Brunei: 26 t (2024) · Malaysia: 8.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
21% of Malaysia’s electricity is renewable, versus 0.2% in Brunei.
Brunei: 0.2% (2024) · Malaysia: 20.7% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Malaysia carries 72% more fine dust than in Brunei.
Brunei: 8.9 µg/m³ (2024) · Malaysia: 15.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Brunei: no data · Malaysia: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Malaysia are 3.9 times as deadly as in Brunei.
Brunei: 3.6 per 100k (2021) · Malaysia: 13.9 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Brunei is on average 0.9 °C warmer than Malaysia.
Brunei: 26.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · Malaysia: 26°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Brunei gets 4% more rain than Malaysia.
Brunei: 3,207 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Malaysia: 3,081 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Brunei bigger than Malaysia?
Malaysia is larger. Brunei fits inside Malaysia 57 times.
Which has more people, Brunei or Malaysia?
Malaysia has 77 times as many people as Brunei (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Brunei or Malaysia?
People in Malaysia live 1.3 years longer than in Brunei. Life expectancy at birth is 75.5 years in Brunei and 76.8 in Malaysia.
Are people taller in Brunei or Malaysia?
Men in Malaysia are 2.9 cm taller than in Brunei (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
