Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Greece fits inside Malaysia 2.5 times.
Greece: 131,960 km² (2023) · Malaysia: 330,411 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Greece’s coastline is 2.9 times as long as Malaysia’s.
Greece: 13,676 km (2026 edition) · Malaysia: 4,675 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Malaysia’s highest peak towers 1,178 m above Greece’s.
Greece: 2,917 m (2026 edition) · Malaysia: 4,095 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Malaysia has 3.5 times as many people as Greece.
Greece: 10.4 million (2025) · Malaysia: 36 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Malaysia is 36% more densely populated than Greece.
Greece: 81 per km² (2025) · Malaysia: 110 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Greece are 10.1 cm taller than in Malaysia.
Greece: 179.3 cm (2019) · Malaysia: 169.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Greece are 8.8 cm taller than in Malaysia.
Greece: 165.8 cm (2019) · Malaysia: 157.1 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Greece is 16 years older than in Malaysia.
Greece: 45.7 years (2023) · Malaysia: 30.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Malaysia have 0.3 more children on average than in Greece.
Greece: 1.24 children per woman (2024) · Malaysia: 1.54 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
24% of people in Greece are 65 or older, versus 8.0% in Malaysia.
Greece: 24.4% (2025) · Malaysia: 8% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Greece has produced 1.0 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Malaysia 0.0.
Greece: 1 (2025) · Malaysia: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Malaysia has 2 official languages, Greece 1.
Greece: 1 (2026) · Malaysia: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Malaysia’s economy is 68% larger than Greece’s.
Greece: $281 billion (2025) · Malaysia: $472 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Greece produces 9% more per person than Malaysia.
Greece: Int$45,264 (2025) · Malaysia: Int$41,498 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Malaysia than in Greece (Gini 7.3 points higher).
Greece: 33.4 (2023) · Malaysia: 40.7 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.5% in Greece, versus 3.8% in Malaysia.
Greece: 8.5% (2025) · Malaysia: 3.8% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Greece spends 3.1% of its GDP on the military, Malaysia 1.0%.
Greece: 3.1% (2024) · Malaysia: 1% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Greece’s price level (US = 100) is 1.9× Malaysia’s.
Greece: 60% (2025) · Malaysia: 32% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Greece spends 4.4 times as much on health per person as Malaysia.
Greece: $1,963 (2023) · Malaysia: $450 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Greece live 5 years longer than in Malaysia.
Greece: 81.8 years (2024) · Malaysia: 76.8 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Malaysia is 2.2 times as likely to die before turning one as in Greece.
Greece: 3.2 per 1,000 (2024) · Malaysia: 7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Greece has 2.8 times as many doctors per person as Malaysia.
Greece: 6.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Malaysia: 2.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
34% of adults in Greece are obese, versus 24% in Malaysia.
Greece: 33.7% (2024) · Malaysia: 23.6% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
30% of adults in Greece smoke, versus 17% in Malaysia.
Greece: 30.2% (2024) · Malaysia: 16.9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Malaysia rate their lives 0.31 points higher than in Greece.
Greece: 5.70 (2025) · Malaysia: 6.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Greece drink 11 times as much alcohol as in Malaysia.
Greece: 8.6 litres (2023) · Malaysia: 0.8 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Greece has 19% more meat per person than Malaysia.
Greece: 82 kg (2023) · Malaysia: 69.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Greece has 455 kcal more food per person per day than Malaysia.
Greece: 3,382 kcal (2023) · Malaysia: 2,927 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Malaysia put in 414 more hours a year than in Greece.
Greece: 1,893 hours (2023) · Malaysia: 2,308 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Greece went to school 0.46 years longer than in Malaysia.
Greece: 11.6 years (2023) · Malaysia: 11.1 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Greece welcomed 9.2 times as many tourists per resident as Malaysia (2019).
Greece: 2.67 (2022) · Malaysia: 0.29 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in Malaysia are online, versus 86% in Greece.
Greece: 86% (2024) · Malaysia: 98% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Greece and Malaysia are practically level.
Greece: 100% (2024) · Malaysia: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
79% of people in Greece live in cities, versus 77% in Malaysia.
Greece: 79% (2025) · Malaysia: 77% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Malaysia has 140 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Greece 114.
Greece: 114 (2024) · Malaysia: 140 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Greece’s railway network is 41% longer than Malaysia’s.
Greece: 2,339 km (2021) · Malaysia: 1,655 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Greece fly 41% more passengers per resident than those from Malaysia.
Greece: 1.83 (2023) · Malaysia: 1.3 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 58% of Malaysia, but only 30% of Greece.
Greece: 30.3% (2023) · Malaysia: 57.7% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Malaysia emits 54% more CO₂ than someone in Greece.
Greece: 5.3 t (2024) · Malaysia: 8.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
50% of Greece’s electricity is renewable, versus 21% in Malaysia.
Greece: 49.7% (2025) · Malaysia: 20.7% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Malaysia carries 1% more fine dust than in Greece.
Greece: 15.1 µg/m³ (2024) · Malaysia: 15.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 14% more likely to be murdered in Greece than in Malaysia.
Greece: 0.8 per 100k (2023) · Malaysia: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Malaysia are 90% deadlier than in Greece.
Greece: 7.3 per 100k (2021) · Malaysia: 13.9 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Malaysia is on average 10.3 °C warmer than Greece.
Greece: 15.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · Malaysia: 26°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Malaysia gets 3.9 times as much rain as Greece.
Greece: 800 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Malaysia: 3,081 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Greece bigger than Malaysia?
Malaysia is larger. Greece fits inside Malaysia 2.5 times.
Which has more people, Greece or Malaysia?
Malaysia has 3.5 times as many people as Greece (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Greece or Malaysia?
People in Greece live 5 years longer than in Malaysia. Life expectancy at birth is 81.8 years in Greece and 76.8 in Malaysia.
Are people taller in Greece or Malaysia?
Men in Greece are 10.1 cm taller than in Malaysia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
