Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Malaysia is 39% bigger than Ghana.
Ghana: 238,539 km² (2023) · Malaysia: 330,411 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Malaysia’s coastline is 8.7 times as long as Ghana’s.
Ghana: 539 km (2026 edition) · Malaysia: 4,675 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Malaysia’s highest peak towers 3,210 m above Ghana’s.
Ghana: 885 m (2026 edition) · Malaysia: 4,095 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Malaysia has 3% more people than Ghana.
Ghana: 35.1 million (2025) · Malaysia: 36 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Ghana is 41% more densely populated than Malaysia.
Ghana: 154 per km² (2025) · Malaysia: 110 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Ghana are 1.1 cm taller than in Malaysia.
Ghana: 170.3 cm (2019) · Malaysia: 169.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Ghana are 1.8 cm taller than in Malaysia.
Ghana: 158.9 cm (2019) · Malaysia: 157.1 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Malaysia is 9.1 years older than in Ghana.
Ghana: 20.9 years (2023) · Malaysia: 30.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Ghana have 1.8 more children on average than in Malaysia.
Ghana: 3.34 children per woman (2024) · Malaysia: 1.54 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.0% of people in Malaysia are 65 or older, versus 3.8% in Ghana.
Ghana: 3.8% (2025) · Malaysia: 8% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Ghana has produced 0.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Malaysia 0.0.
Ghana: 0.3 (2025) · Malaysia: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Malaysia has 2 official languages, Ghana 1.
Ghana: 1 (2026) · Malaysia: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Malaysia’s economy is 4.1 times the size of Ghana’s.
Ghana: $114 billion (2025) · Malaysia: $472 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Malaysia produces 4.8 times as much per person as Ghana.
Ghana: Int$8,610 (2025) · Malaysia: Int$41,498 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Ghana than in Malaysia (Gini 2.8 points higher).
Ghana: 43.5 (2016) · Malaysia: 40.7 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.8% in Malaysia, versus 3.0% in Ghana.
Ghana: 3% (2025) · Malaysia: 3.8% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Malaysia spends 1.0% of its GDP on the military, Ghana 0.4%.
Ghana: 0.4% (2024) · Malaysia: 1% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Ghana’s price level (US = 100) is 1.2× Malaysia’s.
Ghana: 38% (2025) · Malaysia: 32% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Malaysia spends 6.4 times as much on health per person as Ghana.
Ghana: $70 (2023) · Malaysia: $450 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Malaysia live 11 years longer than in Ghana.
Ghana: 65.7 years (2024) · Malaysia: 76.8 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Ghana is 3.9 times as likely to die before turning one as in Malaysia.
Ghana: 27.5 per 1,000 (2024) · Malaysia: 7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Malaysia has 8.8 times as many doctors per person as Ghana.
Ghana: 0.3 per 1,000 (2023) · Malaysia: 2.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
24% of adults in Malaysia are obese, versus 14% in Ghana.
Ghana: 13.8% (2024) · Malaysia: 23.6% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
17% of adults in Malaysia smoke, versus 3.3% in Ghana.
Ghana: 3.3% (2024) · Malaysia: 16.9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Malaysia rate their lives 1.45 points higher than in Ghana.
Ghana: 4.55 (2025) · Malaysia: 6.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Ghana drink 3.2 times as much alcohol as in Malaysia.
Ghana: 2.6 litres (2023) · Malaysia: 0.8 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Malaysia has 4 times as much meat per person as Ghana.
Ghana: 17.4 kg (2023) · Malaysia: 69.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Ghana has 198 kcal more food per person per day than Malaysia.
Ghana: 3,125 kcal (2023) · Malaysia: 2,927 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Malaysia put in 652 more hours a year than in Ghana.
Ghana: 1,656 hours (2023) · Malaysia: 2,308 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Malaysia went to school 4 years longer than in Ghana.
Ghana: 7.1 years (2023) · Malaysia: 11.1 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Malaysia welcomed 11 times as many tourists per resident as Ghana (2019).
Ghana: 0.03 (2022) · Malaysia: 0.29 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in Malaysia are online, versus 72% in Ghana.
Ghana: 72% (2024) · Malaysia: 98% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Malaysia have electricity, versus 92% in Ghana.
Ghana: 91.9% (2024) · Malaysia: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
77% of people in Malaysia live in cities, versus 59% in Ghana.
Ghana: 59% (2025) · Malaysia: 77% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Malaysia has 140 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Ghana 114.
Ghana: 114 (2024) · Malaysia: 140 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Malaysia’s railway network is 75% longer than Ghana’s.
Ghana: 947 km (2022) · Malaysia: 1,655 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Malaysia fly 103 times as many passengers per resident as those from Ghana.
Ghana: 0.01 (2023) · Malaysia: 1.3 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 58% of Malaysia, but only 35% of Ghana.
Ghana: 35.2% (2023) · Malaysia: 57.7% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Malaysia emits 13 times as much CO₂ as someone in Ghana.
Ghana: 0.6 t (2024) · Malaysia: 8.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
36% of Ghana’s electricity is renewable, versus 21% in Malaysia.
Ghana: 36.2% (2024) · Malaysia: 20.7% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Ghana carries 84% more fine dust than in Malaysia.
Ghana: 28.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Malaysia: 15.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2.5 times as likely to be murdered in Ghana as in Malaysia.
Ghana: 1.8 per 100k (2022) · Malaysia: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Ghana are 86% deadlier than in Malaysia.
Ghana: 25.9 per 100k (2021) · Malaysia: 13.9 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Ghana is on average 2.0 °C warmer than Malaysia.
Ghana: 27.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · Malaysia: 26°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Malaysia gets 2.8 times as much rain as Ghana.
Ghana: 1,118 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Malaysia: 3,081 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Ghana bigger than Malaysia?
Malaysia is larger. Malaysia is 39% bigger than Ghana.
Which has more people, Ghana or Malaysia?
Malaysia has 3% more people than Ghana (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Ghana or Malaysia?
People in Malaysia live 11 years longer than in Ghana. Life expectancy at birth is 65.7 years in Ghana and 76.8 in Malaysia.
Are people taller in Ghana or Malaysia?
Men in Ghana are 1.1 cm taller than in Malaysia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
