Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Ireland fits inside Malaysia 4.7 times.
Ireland: 70,280 km² (2023) · Malaysia: 330,411 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Malaysia’s coastline is 3.2 times as long as Ireland’s.
Ireland: 1,448 km (2026 edition) · Malaysia: 4,675 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Malaysia’s highest peak towers 3,054 m above Ireland’s.
Ireland: 1,041 m (2026 edition) · Malaysia: 4,095 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Malaysia has 6.6 times as many people as Ireland.
Ireland: 5.48 million (2025) · Malaysia: 36 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Malaysia is 38% more densely populated than Ireland.
Ireland: 80 per km² (2025) · Malaysia: 110 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Ireland are 9.8 cm taller than in Malaysia.
Ireland: 179 cm (2019) · Malaysia: 169.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Ireland are 7.4 cm taller than in Malaysia.
Ireland: 164.5 cm (2019) · Malaysia: 157.1 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Ireland is 8.4 years older than in Malaysia.
Ireland: 38.4 years (2023) · Malaysia: 30.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Malaysia have 0.1 more children on average than in Ireland.
Ireland: 1.47 children per woman (2024) · Malaysia: 1.54 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
16% of people in Ireland are 65 or older, versus 8.0% in Malaysia.
Ireland: 16.2% (2025) · Malaysia: 8% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Ireland has produced 9.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Malaysia 0.0.
Ireland: 9.1 (2025) · Malaysia: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Ireland and Malaysia are practically level.
Ireland: 2 (2026) · Malaysia: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Ireland’s economy is 53% larger than Malaysia’s.
Ireland: $722 billion (2025) · Malaysia: $472 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Ireland produces 3.7 times as much per person as Malaysia.
Ireland: Int$155,089 (2025) · Malaysia: Int$41,498 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Malaysia than in Ireland (Gini 11.7 points higher).
Ireland: 29 (2023) · Malaysia: 40.7 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.6% in Ireland, versus 3.8% in Malaysia.
Ireland: 4.6% (2025) · Malaysia: 3.8% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Malaysia spends 1.0% of its GDP on the military, Ireland 0.2%.
Ireland: 0.2% (2024) · Malaysia: 1% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Ireland’s price level (US = 100) is 2.7× Malaysia’s.
Ireland: 85% (2025) · Malaysia: 32% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Ireland spends 16 times as much on health per person as Malaysia.
Ireland: $7,395 (2024) · Malaysia: $450 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Ireland live 6.2 years longer than in Malaysia.
Ireland: 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 Ireland.
Ireland: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024) · Malaysia: 7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Ireland has 66% more doctors per person than Malaysia.
Ireland: 3.9 per 1,000 (2023) · Malaysia: 2.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
31% of adults in Ireland are obese, versus 24% in Malaysia.
Ireland: 30.6% (2024) · Malaysia: 23.6% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
18% of adults in Ireland smoke, versus 17% in Malaysia.
Ireland: 18.2% (2024) · Malaysia: 16.9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Ireland rate their lives 0.92 points higher than in Malaysia.
Ireland: 6.93 (2025) · Malaysia: 6.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Ireland drink 13 times as much alcohol as in Malaysia.
Ireland: 10.3 litres (2023) · Malaysia: 0.8 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Ireland has 42% more meat per person than Malaysia.
Ireland: 98.4 kg (2023) · Malaysia: 69.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Ireland has 994 kcal more food per person per day than Malaysia.
Ireland: 3,921 kcal (2023) · Malaysia: 2,927 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Malaysia put in 653 more hours a year than in Ireland.
Ireland: 1,654 hours (2023) · Malaysia: 2,308 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Ireland went to school 0.63 years longer than in Malaysia.
Ireland: 11.7 years (2023) · Malaysia: 11.1 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Ireland welcomed 7.6 times as many tourists per resident as Malaysia (2019).
Ireland: 2.2 (2019) · Malaysia: 0.29 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in Malaysia are online, versus 97% in Ireland.
Ireland: 97% (2024) · Malaysia: 98% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Ireland and Malaysia are practically level.
Ireland: 100% (2024) · Malaysia: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
77% of people in Malaysia live in cities, versus 65% in Ireland.
Ireland: 65% (2025) · Malaysia: 77% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Malaysia has 140 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Ireland 113.
Ireland: 113 (2024) · Malaysia: 140 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Malaysia and Ireland are nearly identical here.
Ireland: 1,650 km (2021) · Malaysia: 1,655 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Ireland fly 27 times as many passengers per resident as those from Malaysia.
Ireland: 35.11 (2023) · Malaysia: 1.3 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 58% of Malaysia, but only 12% of Ireland.
Ireland: 11.5% (2023) · Malaysia: 57.7% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Malaysia emits 29% more CO₂ than someone in Ireland.
Ireland: 6.3 t (2024) · Malaysia: 8.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
48% of Ireland’s electricity is renewable, versus 21% in Malaysia.
Ireland: 48.1% (2025) · Malaysia: 20.7% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Malaysia carries 2.1 times as much fine dust as in Ireland.
Ireland: 7.4 µg/m³ (2024) · Malaysia: 15.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 12% more likely to be murdered in Malaysia than in Ireland.
Ireland: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · Malaysia: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Malaysia are 5 times as deadly as in Ireland.
Ireland: 2.8 per 100k (2021) · Malaysia: 13.9 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Malaysia is on average 15.7 °C warmer than Ireland.
Ireland: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · Malaysia: 26°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Malaysia gets 2.7 times as much rain as Ireland.
Ireland: 1,139 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Malaysia: 3,081 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Ireland bigger than Malaysia?
Malaysia is larger. Ireland fits inside Malaysia 4.7 times.
Which has more people, Ireland or Malaysia?
Malaysia has 6.6 times as many people as Ireland (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Ireland or Malaysia?
People in Ireland live 6.2 years longer than in Malaysia. Life expectancy at birth is 83.0 years in Ireland and 76.8 in Malaysia.
Are people taller in Ireland or Malaysia?
Men in Ireland are 9.8 cm taller than in Malaysia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
