Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Malaysia fits inside Colombia 3.5 times.
Colombia: 1,140,620 km² (2023) · Malaysia: 330,411 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Malaysia’s coastline is 46% longer than Colombia’s.
Colombia: 3,208 km (2026 edition) · Malaysia: 4,675 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Colombia’s highest peak towers 1,635 m above Malaysia’s.
Colombia: 5,730 m (2026 edition) · Malaysia: 4,095 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Colombia has 48% more people than Malaysia.
Colombia: 53.4 million (2025) · Malaysia: 36 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Malaysia is 2.3 times as densely populated as Colombia.
Colombia: 48 per km² (2025) · Malaysia: 110 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Colombia are 2.7 cm taller than in Malaysia.
Colombia: 171.9 cm (2019) · Malaysia: 169.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Colombia are 0.9 cm taller than in Malaysia.
Colombia: 158 cm (2019) · Malaysia: 157.1 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Colombia is 1.5 years older than in Malaysia.
Colombia: 31.6 years (2023) · Malaysia: 30.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Colombia have 0.1 more children on average than in Malaysia.
Colombia: 1.63 children per woman (2024) · Malaysia: 1.54 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
10% of people in Colombia are 65 or older, versus 8.0% in Malaysia.
Colombia: 10.2% (2025) · Malaysia: 8% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Colombia has produced 0.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Malaysia 0.0.
Colombia: 0.4 (2025) · Malaysia: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Malaysia has 2 official languages, Colombia 1.
Colombia: 1 (2026) · Malaysia: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Malaysia’s economy is 3% larger than Colombia’s.
Colombia: $457 billion (2025) · Malaysia: $472 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Malaysia produces 83% more per person than Colombia.
Colombia: Int$22,640 (2025) · Malaysia: Int$41,498 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Colombia than in Malaysia (Gini 13.7 points higher).
Colombia: 54.4 (2024) · Malaysia: 40.7 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.3% in Colombia, versus 3.8% in Malaysia.
Colombia: 8.3% (2025) · Malaysia: 3.8% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Colombia spends 3.4% of its GDP on the military, Malaysia 1.0%.
Colombia: 3.4% (2024) · Malaysia: 1% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Colombia’s price level (US = 100) is 1.2× Malaysia’s.
Colombia: 38% (2025) · Malaysia: 32% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Colombia spends 43% more on health per person than Malaysia.
Colombia: $644 (2024) · Malaysia: $450 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Colombia live 1.1 years longer than in Malaysia.
Colombia: 77.9 years (2024) · Malaysia: 76.8 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Colombia is 50% more likely to die before turning one than in Malaysia.
Colombia: 10.5 per 1,000 (2024) · Malaysia: 7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Colombia has 8% more doctors per person than Malaysia.
Colombia: 2.5 per 1,000 (2023) · Malaysia: 2.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
25% of adults in Colombia are obese, versus 24% in Malaysia.
Colombia: 25.3% (2024) · Malaysia: 23.6% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
17% of adults in Malaysia smoke, versus 8.0% in Colombia.
Colombia: 8% (2024) · Malaysia: 16.9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Colombia rate their lives 0.04 points higher than in Malaysia.
Colombia: 6.04 (2025) · Malaysia: 6.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Colombia drink 6 times as much alcohol as in Malaysia.
Colombia: 4.9 litres (2023) · Malaysia: 0.8 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Malaysia has 10% more meat per person than Colombia.
Colombia: 62.6 kg (2023) · Malaysia: 69.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Colombia has 200 kcal more food per person per day than Malaysia.
Colombia: 3,126 kcal (2023) · Malaysia: 2,927 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Colombia put in 163 more hours a year than in Malaysia.
Colombia: 2,471 hours (2023) · Malaysia: 2,308 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Malaysia went to school 2.1 years longer than in Colombia.
Colombia: 9 years (2023) · Malaysia: 11.1 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Malaysia welcomed 3.3 times as many tourists per resident as Colombia (2019).
Colombia: 0.09 (2022) · Malaysia: 0.29 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in Malaysia are online, versus 79% in Colombia.
Colombia: 79% (2024) · Malaysia: 98% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Malaysia have electricity, versus 99% in Colombia.
Colombia: 98.9% (2024) · Malaysia: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
79% of people in Colombia live in cities, versus 77% in Malaysia.
Colombia: 79% (2025) · Malaysia: 77% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Colombia has 174 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Malaysia 140.
Colombia: 174 (2024) · Malaysia: 140 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Colombia’s railway network is 29% longer than Malaysia’s.
Colombia: 2,141 km (2019) · Malaysia: 1,655 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Malaysia fly 64% more passengers per resident than those from Colombia.
Colombia: 0.79 (2023) · Malaysia: 1.3 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 58% of Malaysia, but only 53% of Colombia.
Colombia: 52.8% (2023) · Malaysia: 57.7% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Malaysia emits 4.7 times as much CO₂ as someone in Colombia.
Colombia: 1.8 t (2024) · Malaysia: 8.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
77% of Colombia’s electricity is renewable, versus 21% in Malaysia.
Colombia: 77% (2025) · Malaysia: 20.7% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Malaysia carries 1% more fine dust than in Colombia.
Colombia: 15.1 µg/m³ (2024) · Malaysia: 15.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 34 times as likely to be murdered in Colombia as in Malaysia.
Colombia: 24.9 per 100k (2023) · Malaysia: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Colombia are 17% deadlier than in Malaysia.
Colombia: 16.2 per 100k (2021) · Malaysia: 13.9 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Malaysia is on average 1.6 °C warmer than Colombia.
Colombia: 24.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · Malaysia: 26°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Colombia gets 2% more rain than Malaysia.
Colombia: 3,155 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Malaysia: 3,081 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Colombia bigger than Malaysia?
Colombia is larger. Malaysia fits inside Colombia 3.5 times.
Which has more people, Colombia or Malaysia?
Colombia has 48% more people than Malaysia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Colombia or Malaysia?
People in Colombia live 1.1 years longer than in Malaysia. Life expectancy at birth is 77.9 years in Colombia and 76.8 in Malaysia.
Are people taller in Colombia or Malaysia?
Men in Colombia are 2.7 cm taller than in Malaysia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
