Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
France is 84% bigger than Malaysia.
France: 606,410 km² (2023) · Malaysia: 330,411 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
France’s coastline is 4% longer than Malaysia’s.
France: 4,853 km (2026 edition) · Malaysia: 4,675 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
France’s highest peak towers 715 m above Malaysia’s.
France: 4,810 m (2026 edition) · Malaysia: 4,095 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
France has 91% more people than Malaysia.
France: 68.7 million (2025) · Malaysia: 36 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
France is 16% more densely populated than Malaysia.
France: 128 per km² (2025) · Malaysia: 110 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in France are 9.4 cm taller than in Malaysia.
France: 178.6 cm (2019) · Malaysia: 169.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in France are 7.4 cm taller than in Malaysia.
France: 164.5 cm (2019) · Malaysia: 157.1 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in France is 12 years older than in Malaysia.
France: 41.8 years (2023) · Malaysia: 30.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in France have 0.1 more children on average than in Malaysia.
France: 1.61 children per woman (2024) · Malaysia: 1.54 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
23% of people in France are 65 or older, versus 8.0% in Malaysia.
France: 22.5% (2025) · Malaysia: 8% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
France has produced 9.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Malaysia none.
France: 9.3 (2025) · Malaysia: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Malaysia has 2 official languages, France 1.
France: 1 (2026) · Malaysia: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
France’s economy is 7.1 times the size of Malaysia’s.
France: $3.37 trillion (2025) · Malaysia: $472 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
France produces 54% more per person than Malaysia.
France: Int$63,975 (2025) · Malaysia: Int$41,498 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Malaysia than in France (Gini 8.9 points higher).
France: 31.8 (2023) · Malaysia: 40.7 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 7.5% in France, versus 3.8% in Malaysia.
France: 7.5% (2025) · Malaysia: 3.8% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
France spends 2.1% of its GDP on the military, Malaysia 1.0%.
France: 2.1% (2024) · Malaysia: 1% (2024)
How expensive is it?
France’s price level (US = 100) is 2.4× Malaysia’s.
France: 77% (2025) · Malaysia: 32% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
France spends 12 times as much on health per person as Malaysia.
France: $5,327 (2024) · Malaysia: $450 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in France live 6.2 years longer than in Malaysia.
France: 83 years (2024) · Malaysia: 76.8 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Malaysia is 2.1 times as likely to die before turning one as in France.
France: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024) · Malaysia: 7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
France has 40% more doctors per person than Malaysia.
France: 3.3 per 1,000 (2022) · Malaysia: 2.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
24% of adults in Malaysia are obese, versus 13% in France.
France: 12.5% (2024) · Malaysia: 23.6% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
34% of adults in France smoke, versus 17% in Malaysia.
France: 33.6% (2024) · Malaysia: 16.9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in France rate their lives 0.58 points higher than in Malaysia.
France: 6.59 (2025) · Malaysia: 6.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in France drink 14 times as much alcohol as in Malaysia.
France: 11.2 litres (2023) · Malaysia: 0.8 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
France has 16% more meat per person than Malaysia.
France: 80.3 kg (2023) · Malaysia: 69.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
France has 563 kcal more food per person per day than Malaysia.
France: 3,490 kcal (2023) · Malaysia: 2,927 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Malaysia put in 820 more hours a year than in France.
France: 1,487 hours (2023) · Malaysia: 2,308 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in France went to school 0.68 years longer than in Malaysia.
France: 11.8 years (2023) · Malaysia: 11.1 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
France welcomed 4.6 times as many tourists per resident as Malaysia (2019).
France: 1.35 (2019) · Malaysia: 0.29 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in Malaysia are online, versus 89% in France.
France: 89% (2024) · Malaysia: 98% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
France and Malaysia are practically level.
France: 100% (2024) · Malaysia: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
79% of people in France live in cities, versus 77% in Malaysia.
France: 79% (2025) · Malaysia: 77% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Malaysia has 140 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, France 117.
France: 117 (2023) · Malaysia: 140 (2024)
How much railway is there?
France’s railway network is 17 times as long as Malaysia’s.
France: 27,716 km (2021) · Malaysia: 1,655 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Malaysia fly 38% more passengers per resident than those from France.
France: 0.94 (2023) · Malaysia: 1.3 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 58% of Malaysia, but only 32% of France.
France: 32.5% (2023) · Malaysia: 57.7% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Malaysia emits 2.1 times as much CO₂ as someone in France.
France: 4 t (2024) · Malaysia: 8.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
26% of France’s electricity is renewable, versus 21% in Malaysia.
France: 26.1% (2025) · Malaysia: 20.7% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Malaysia carries 72% more fine dust than in France.
France: 8.9 µg/m³ (2024) · Malaysia: 15.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 84% more likely to be murdered in France than in Malaysia.
France: 1.3 per 100k (2024) · Malaysia: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Malaysia are 3 times as deadly as in France.
France: 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 11.9 °C warmer than France.
France: 14.1°C (2016–2025 avg) · Malaysia: 26°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Malaysia gets 2.7 times as much rain as France.
France: 1,158 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Malaysia: 3,081 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is France bigger than Malaysia?
France is larger. France is 84% bigger than Malaysia.
Which has more people, France or Malaysia?
France has 91% more people than Malaysia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, France or Malaysia?
People in France live 6.2 years longer than in Malaysia. Life expectancy at birth is 83.0 years in France and 76.8 in Malaysia.
Are people taller in France or Malaysia?
Men in France are 9.4 cm taller than in Malaysia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
