Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Malaysia fits inside Canada 47 times.
Canada: 15,634,400 km² (2023) · Malaysia: 330,411 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Canada’s coastline is 43 times as long as Malaysia’s.
Canada: 202,080 km (2026 edition) · Malaysia: 4,675 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Canada’s highest peak towers 1,864 m above Malaysia’s.
Canada: 5,959 m (2026 edition) · Malaysia: 4,095 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Canada has 16% more people than Malaysia.
Canada: 41.7 million (2025) · Malaysia: 36 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Malaysia is 23 times as densely populated as Canada.
Canada: 5 per km² (2025) · Malaysia: 110 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Canada are 9.6 cm taller than in Malaysia.
Canada: 178.8 cm (2019) · Malaysia: 169.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Canada are 7.7 cm taller than in Malaysia.
Canada: 164.7 cm (2019) · Malaysia: 157.1 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Canada is 10 years older than in Malaysia.
Canada: 40.3 years (2023) · Malaysia: 30.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Malaysia have 0.3 more children on average than in Canada.
Canada: 1.25 children per woman (2024) · Malaysia: 1.54 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in Canada are 65 or older, versus 8.0% in Malaysia.
Canada: 20.3% (2025) · Malaysia: 8% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Canada has produced 5.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Malaysia 0.0.
Canada: 5.3 (2025) · Malaysia: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Canada and Malaysia are practically level.
Canada: 2 (2026) · Malaysia: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Canada’s economy is 4.9 times the size of Malaysia’s.
Canada: $2.32 trillion (2025) · Malaysia: $472 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Canada produces 61% more per person than Malaysia.
Canada: Int$66,746 (2025) · Malaysia: Int$41,498 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Malaysia than in Canada (Gini 9.2 points higher).
Canada: 31.5 (2022) · Malaysia: 40.7 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 6.9% in Canada, versus 3.8% in Malaysia.
Canada: 6.9% (2025) · Malaysia: 3.8% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Canada and Malaysia are practically level.
Canada: 1.3% (2024) · Malaysia: 1% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Canada’s price level (US = 100) is 2.6× Malaysia’s.
Canada: 83% (2025) · Malaysia: 32% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Canada spends 14 times as much on health per person as Malaysia.
Canada: $6,378 (2024) · Malaysia: $450 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Canada live 5.3 years longer than in Malaysia.
Canada: 82.1 years (2024) · Malaysia: 76.8 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Malaysia is 49% more likely to die before turning one than in Canada.
Canada: 4.7 per 1,000 (2024) · Malaysia: 7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Canada has 20% more doctors per person than Malaysia.
Canada: 2.8 per 1,000 (2023) · Malaysia: 2.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
27% of adults in Canada are obese, versus 24% in Malaysia.
Canada: 27.1% (2024) · Malaysia: 23.6% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
17% of adults in Malaysia smoke, versus 11% in Canada.
Canada: 11.2% (2024) · Malaysia: 16.9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Canada rate their lives 0.74 points higher than in Malaysia.
Canada: 6.74 (2025) · Malaysia: 6.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Canada drink 11 times as much alcohol as in Malaysia.
Canada: 9.2 litres (2023) · Malaysia: 0.8 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Canada has 37% more meat per person than Malaysia.
Canada: 94.8 kg (2023) · Malaysia: 69.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Canada has 664 kcal more food per person per day than Malaysia.
Canada: 3,590 kcal (2023) · Malaysia: 2,927 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Malaysia put in 576 more hours a year than in Canada.
Canada: 1,731 hours (2023) · Malaysia: 2,308 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Canada went to school 2.8 years longer than in Malaysia.
Canada: 13.9 years (2023) · Malaysia: 11.1 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Canada welcomed 66% more tourists per resident than Malaysia (2019).
Canada: 0.48 (2024) · Malaysia: 0.29 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in Malaysia are online, versus 94% in Canada.
Canada: 94% (2024) · Malaysia: 98% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Canada and Malaysia are practically level.
Canada: 100% (2024) · Malaysia: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
83% of people in Canada live in cities, versus 77% in Malaysia.
Canada: 83% (2025) · Malaysia: 77% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Malaysia has 140 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Canada 94.
Canada: 94 (2024) · Malaysia: 140 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Canada’s railway network is 29 times as long as Malaysia’s.
Canada: 48,150 km (2021) · Malaysia: 1,655 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Canada fly 64% more passengers per resident than those from Malaysia.
Canada: 2.13 (2023) · Malaysia: 1.3 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 58% of Malaysia, but only 39% of Canada.
Canada: 39.5% (2023) · Malaysia: 57.7% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Canada emits 64% more CO₂ than someone in Malaysia.
Canada: 13.4 t (2024) · Malaysia: 8.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
64% of Canada’s electricity is renewable, versus 21% in Malaysia.
Canada: 63.9% (2025) · Malaysia: 20.7% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Malaysia carries 2.2 times as much fine dust as in Canada.
Canada: 7 µg/m³ (2024) · Malaysia: 15.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2.7 times as likely to be murdered in Canada as in Malaysia.
Canada: 2 per 100k (2023) · Malaysia: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Malaysia are 3 times as deadly as in Canada.
Canada: 4.7 per 100k (2021) · Malaysia: 13.9 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Malaysia is on average 29.0 °C warmer than Canada.
Canada: -3°C (2016–2025 avg) · Malaysia: 26°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Malaysia gets 4.5 times as much rain as Canada.
Canada: 683 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Malaysia: 3,081 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Canada bigger than Malaysia?
Canada is larger. Malaysia fits inside Canada 47 times.
Which has more people, Canada or Malaysia?
Canada has 16% more people than Malaysia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Canada or Malaysia?
People in Canada live 5.3 years longer than in Malaysia. Life expectancy at birth is 82.1 years in Canada and 76.8 in Malaysia.
Are people taller in Canada or Malaysia?
Men in Canada are 9.6 cm taller than in Malaysia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
