Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Guatemala fits inside Malaysia 3 times.
Guatemala: 108,890 km² (2023) · Malaysia: 330,411 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Malaysia’s coastline is 12 times as long as Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: 400 km (2026 edition) · Malaysia: 4,675 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Guatemala’s highest peak towers 125 m above Malaysia’s.
Guatemala: 4,220 m (2026 edition) · Malaysia: 4,095 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Malaysia has 93% more people than Guatemala.
Guatemala: 18.7 million (2025) · Malaysia: 36 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Guatemala is 59% more densely populated than Malaysia.
Guatemala: 174 per km² (2025) · Malaysia: 110 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Malaysia are 4.8 cm taller than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 164.4 cm (2019) · Malaysia: 169.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Malaysia are 6.2 cm taller than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 150.9 cm (2019) · Malaysia: 157.1 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Malaysia is 7.4 years older than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 22.6 years (2023) · Malaysia: 30.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Guatemala have 0.7 more children on average than in Malaysia.
Guatemala: 2.29 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 5.0% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 5% (2025) · Malaysia: 8% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Guatemala has produced 1.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Malaysia none.
Guatemala: 1.1 (2025) · Malaysia: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Malaysia has 2 official languages, Guatemala 1.
Guatemala: 1 (2026) · Malaysia: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Malaysia’s economy is 3.8 times the size of Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: $123 billion (2025) · Malaysia: $472 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Malaysia produces 2.7 times as much per person as Guatemala.
Guatemala: Int$15,197 (2025) · Malaysia: Int$41,498 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Guatemala than in Malaysia (Gini 4.5 points higher).
Guatemala: 45.2 (2023) · Malaysia: 40.7 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.8% in Malaysia, versus 2.6% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 2.6% (2025) · Malaysia: 3.8% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Malaysia spends 1.0% of its GDP on the military, Guatemala 0.4%.
Guatemala: 0.4% (2024) · Malaysia: 1% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Guatemala’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× Malaysia’s.
Guatemala: 43% (2025) · Malaysia: 32% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Malaysia spends 15% more on health per person than Guatemala.
Guatemala: $392 (2023) · Malaysia: $450 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Malaysia live 4.1 years longer than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 72.7 years (2024) · Malaysia: 76.8 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Guatemala is 2.5 times as likely to die before turning one as in Malaysia.
Guatemala: 17.2 per 1,000 (2024) · Malaysia: 7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Malaysia has 83% more doctors per person than Guatemala.
Guatemala: 1.3 per 1,000 (2020) · Malaysia: 2.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
27% of adults in Guatemala are obese, versus 24% in Malaysia.
Guatemala: 26.7% (2024) · Malaysia: 23.6% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
17% of adults in Malaysia smoke, versus 11% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 11.2% (2024) · Malaysia: 16.9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Guatemala rate their lives 0.53 points higher than in Malaysia.
Guatemala: 6.53 (2025) · Malaysia: 6.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Guatemala drink 3.8 times as much alcohol as in Malaysia.
Guatemala: 3.1 litres (2023) · Malaysia: 0.8 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Malaysia has 27% more meat per person than Guatemala.
Guatemala: 54.3 kg (2023) · Malaysia: 69.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Malaysia has 103 kcal more food per person per day than Guatemala.
Guatemala: 2,823 kcal (2023) · Malaysia: 2,927 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Malaysia put in 157 more hours a year than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 2,151 hours (2023) · Malaysia: 2,308 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Malaysia went to school 5.2 years longer than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 5.8 years (2023) · Malaysia: 11.1 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Malaysia welcomed 3.5 times as many tourists per resident as Guatemala (2019).
Guatemala: 0.08 (2022) · Malaysia: 0.29 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in Malaysia are online, versus 60% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 60% (2024) · Malaysia: 98% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Malaysia have electricity, versus 91% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 90.9% (2024) · Malaysia: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
77% of people in Malaysia live in cities, versus 56% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 56% (2025) · Malaysia: 77% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Malaysia has 140 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Guatemala 113.
Guatemala: 113 (2024) · Malaysia: 140 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Malaysia’s railway network is 2.1 times as long as Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: 800 km (2018) · Malaysia: 1,655 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Malaysia fly 110 times as many passengers per resident as those from Guatemala.
Guatemala: 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 33% of Guatemala.
Guatemala: 32.6% (2023) · Malaysia: 57.7% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Malaysia emits 7.6 times as much CO₂ as someone in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 1.1 t (2024) · Malaysia: 8.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
68% of Guatemala’s electricity is renewable, versus 21% in Malaysia.
Guatemala: 68.3% (2024) · Malaysia: 20.7% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Guatemala carries 81% more fine dust than in Malaysia.
Guatemala: 27.7 µg/m³ (2024) · Malaysia: 15.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 32 times as likely to be murdered in Guatemala as in Malaysia.
Guatemala: 23.4 per 100k (2023) · Malaysia: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Malaysia are 10% deadlier than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 12.6 per 100k (2021) · Malaysia: 13.9 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Malaysia is on average 2.3 °C warmer than Guatemala.
Guatemala: 23.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · Malaysia: 26°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Malaysia gets 70% more rain than Guatemala.
Guatemala: 1,811 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Malaysia: 3,081 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Guatemala bigger than Malaysia?
Malaysia is larger. Guatemala fits inside Malaysia 3 times.
Which has more people, Guatemala or Malaysia?
Malaysia has 93% more people than Guatemala (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Guatemala or Malaysia?
People in Malaysia live 4.1 years longer than in Guatemala. Life expectancy at birth is 72.7 years in Guatemala and 76.8 in Malaysia.
Are people taller in Guatemala or Malaysia?
Men in Malaysia are 4.8 cm taller than in Guatemala (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
