Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Malaysia fits inside Canada 47 times
Canada: 15,634,400 km² (2024) · Malaysia: 330,534 km² (2024)
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)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 25% of Malaysia, versus 6.5% of Canada
Canada: 6.5% (2024) · Malaysia: 24.8% (2024)
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 refugees does it host?
Canada hosts 2.4 times as many refugees per resident as Malaysia
Canada: 10 per 1,000 (2025) · Malaysia: 4.2 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Canada has produced 5.5 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Malaysia none
Canada: 5.5 (2026) · Malaysia: 0 (2026)
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 live on less than $3 a day?
Canada and Malaysia are practically level
Canada: 0.3% (2022) · Malaysia: 0% (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 spends 1.6% of its GDP on the military, Malaysia 1.0%
Canada: 1.6% (2025) · Malaysia: 1% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Canada’s central government collects 14% of GDP in tax, Malaysia’s 12%
Canada: 13.7% (2024) · Malaysia: 12.4% (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 many hospital beds are there?
Canada has 30% more hospital beds per person than Malaysia
Canada: 2.5 per 1,000 (2022) · Malaysia: 2 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Canada is 68% higher than in Malaysia
Canada: 8.4 per 100k (2023) · Malaysia: 5 per 100k (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)
How many World Heritage sites?
Canada has 16 more World Heritage sites than Malaysia (22 against 6)
Canada: 22 (2026) · Malaysia: 6 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Canada has won 597 Olympic medals, Malaysia 15
Canada: 597 (2026 edition) · Malaysia: 15 (2026 edition)
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)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Canada is 33% faster than in Malaysia
Canada: 357 Mbps (2026) · Malaysia: 269 Mbps (2026)
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 42% of Canada
Canada: 42% (2024) · Malaysia: 57.7% (2024)
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 2.1 times as deadly as in Canada
Canada: 7.6 per 100k (2023) · Malaysia: 16.2 per 100k (2023)
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)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
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).
