Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Malaysia fits inside Chile 2.3 times
Chile: 756,556 km² (2024) · Malaysia: 330,534 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Chile’s coastline is 38% longer than Malaysia’s
Chile: 6,435 km (2026 edition) · Malaysia: 4,675 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Chile’s highest peak towers 2,798 m above Malaysia’s
Chile: 6,893 m (2026 edition) · Malaysia: 4,095 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 25% of Malaysia, versus 14% of Chile
Chile: 14.4% (2024) · Malaysia: 24.8% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Malaysia has 81% more people than Chile
Chile: 19.9 million (2025) · Malaysia: 36 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Malaysia is 4.1 times as densely populated as Chile
Chile: 27 per km² (2025) · Malaysia: 110 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Chile are 3.7 cm taller than in Malaysia
Chile: 172.9 cm (2019) · Malaysia: 169.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Chile are 2.4 cm taller than in Malaysia
Chile: 159.4 cm (2019) · Malaysia: 157.1 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Chile is 5.9 years older than in Malaysia
Chile: 36 years (2023) · Malaysia: 30.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Malaysia have 0.4 more children on average than in Chile
Chile: 1.14 children per woman (2024) · Malaysia: 1.54 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
15% of people in Chile are 65 or older, versus 8.0% in Malaysia
Chile: 14.6% (2025) · Malaysia: 8% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Malaysia hosts 32 times as many refugees per resident as Chile
Chile: 0.1 per 1,000 (2025) · Malaysia: 4.2 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Chile has produced 1.0 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Malaysia none
Chile: 1 (2026) · Malaysia: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Malaysia has 2 official languages, Chile 1
Chile: 1 (2026) · Malaysia: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Malaysia’s economy is 32% larger than Chile’s
Chile: $357 billion (2025) · Malaysia: $472 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Malaysia produces 10% more per person than Chile
Chile: Int$37,774 (2025) · Malaysia: Int$41,498 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Chile than in Malaysia (Gini 2.3 points higher)
Chile: 43 (2024) · Malaysia: 40.7 (2021)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Chile and Malaysia are practically level
Chile: 0.4% (2024) · Malaysia: 0% (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 9.0% in Chile, versus 3.8% in Malaysia
Chile: 9% (2025) · Malaysia: 3.8% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Chile and Malaysia are practically level
Chile: 1.5% (2025) · Malaysia: 1% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Chile’s central government collects 18% of GDP in tax, Malaysia’s 12%
Chile: 18.3% (2024) · Malaysia: 12.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Chile’s price level (US = 100) is 1.5× Malaysia’s
Chile: 48% (2025) · Malaysia: 32% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Chile spends 3.9 times as much on health per person as Malaysia
Chile: $1,760 (2024) · Malaysia: $450 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Chile live 4.5 years longer than in Malaysia
Chile: 81.4 years (2024) · Malaysia: 76.8 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Malaysia is 21% more likely to die before turning one than in Chile
Chile: 5.8 per 1,000 (2024) · Malaysia: 7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Chile has 42% more doctors per person than Malaysia
Chile: 3.3 per 1,000 (2023) · Malaysia: 2.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Malaysia has 1% more hospital beds per person than Chile
Chile: 1.9 per 1,000 (2023) · Malaysia: 2 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Chile is 82% higher than in Malaysia
Chile: 9.1 per 100k (2023) · Malaysia: 5 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
41% of adults in Chile are obese, versus 24% in Malaysia
Chile: 41.1% (2024) · Malaysia: 23.6% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
27% of adults in Chile smoke, versus 17% in Malaysia
Chile: 26.7% (2024) · Malaysia: 16.9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Chile rate their lives 0.30 points higher than in Malaysia
Chile: 6.30 (2025) · Malaysia: 6.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Chile drink 8.1 times as much alcohol as in Malaysia
Chile: 6.6 litres (2023) · Malaysia: 0.8 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Chile has 43% more meat per person than Malaysia
Chile: 98.5 kg (2023) · Malaysia: 69.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Chile has 131 kcal more food per person per day than Malaysia
Chile: 3,057 kcal (2023) · Malaysia: 2,927 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Malaysia put in 358 more hours a year than in Chile
Chile: 1,950 hours (2023) · Malaysia: 2,308 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Chile went to school 0.2 years longer than in Malaysia
Chile: 11.3 years (2023) · Malaysia: 11.1 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Malaysia welcomed 10% more tourists per resident than Chile (2019)
Chile: 0.27 (2024) · Malaysia: 0.29 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
Chile has 1 more World Heritage site than Malaysia (7 against 6)
Chile: 7 (2026) · Malaysia: 6 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Chile and Malaysia are practically level
Chile: 15 (2026 edition) · Malaysia: 15 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in Malaysia are online, versus 96% in Chile
Chile: 96% (2024) · Malaysia: 98% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Chile is 57% faster than in Malaysia
Chile: 422 Mbps (2026) · Malaysia: 269 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Malaysia have electricity, versus 99% in Chile
Chile: 99% (2024) · Malaysia: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
89% of people in Chile live in cities, versus 77% in Malaysia
Chile: 89% (2025) · Malaysia: 77% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Malaysia has 140 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Chile 133
Chile: 133 (2024) · Malaysia: 140 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Chile’s railway network is 45% longer than Malaysia’s
Chile: 2,396 km (2021) · Malaysia: 1,655 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Malaysia fly 21% more passengers per resident than those from Chile
Chile: 1.07 (2023) · Malaysia: 1.3 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 58% of Malaysia, but only 24% of Chile
Chile: 24.5% (2024) · Malaysia: 57.7% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Malaysia emits 2 times as much CO₂ as someone in Chile
Chile: 4 t (2024) · Malaysia: 8.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
66% of Chile’s electricity is renewable, versus 21% in Malaysia
Chile: 66.4% (2025) · Malaysia: 20.7% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Chile carries 52% more fine dust than in Malaysia
Chile: 23.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Malaysia: 15.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 8.6 times as likely to be murdered in Chile as in Malaysia
Chile: 6.3 per 100k (2023) · Malaysia: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Chile and Malaysia are nearly identical here
Chile: 16.3 per 100k (2023) · Malaysia: 16.2 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Malaysia is on average 16.6 °C warmer than Chile
Chile: 9.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · Malaysia: 26°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Malaysia gets 2.2 times as much rain as Chile
Chile: 1,425 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 Chile bigger than Malaysia?
Chile is larger. Malaysia fits inside Chile 2.3 times.
Which has more people, Chile or Malaysia?
Malaysia has 81% more people than Chile (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Chile or Malaysia?
People in Chile live 4.5 years longer than in Malaysia. Life expectancy at birth is 81.4 years in Chile and 76.8 in Malaysia.
Are people taller in Chile or Malaysia?
Men in Chile are 3.7 cm taller than in Malaysia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
