Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Israel fits inside Malaysia 15 times
Israel: 22,070 km² (2024) · Malaysia: 330,534 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Malaysia’s coastline is 17 times as long as Israel’s
Israel: 273 km (2026 edition) · Malaysia: 4,675 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Malaysia’s highest peak towers 1,859 m above Israel’s
Israel: 2,236 m (2026 edition) · Malaysia: 4,095 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 25% of Malaysia, versus 24% of Israel
Israel: 23.8% (2024) · Malaysia: 24.8% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Malaysia has 3.6 times as many people as Israel
Israel: 10.1 million (2025) · Malaysia: 36 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Israel is 4.3 times as densely populated as Malaysia
Israel: 468 per km² (2025) · Malaysia: 110 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Israel are 6.8 cm taller than in Malaysia
Israel: 176 cm (2019) · Malaysia: 169.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Israel are 5.2 cm taller than in Malaysia
Israel: 162.2 cm (2019) · Malaysia: 157.1 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Malaysia is 0.91 years older than in Israel
Israel: 29.2 years (2023) · Malaysia: 30.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Israel have 1.3 more children on average than in Malaysia
Israel: 2.87 children per woman (2024) · Malaysia: 1.54 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
13% of people in Israel are 65 or older, versus 8.0% in Malaysia
Israel: 12.7% (2025) · Malaysia: 8% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Malaysia hosts 33 times as many refugees per resident as Israel
Israel: 0.1 per 1,000 (2025) · Malaysia: 4.2 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Israel has produced 5.9 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Malaysia none
Israel: 5.9 (2026) · Malaysia: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Israel and Malaysia are practically level
Israel: 2 (2026) · Malaysia: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Israel’s economy is 29% larger than Malaysia’s
Israel: $611 billion (2025) · Malaysia: $472 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Israel produces 44% more per person than Malaysia
Israel: Int$59,717 (2025) · Malaysia: Int$41,498 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Malaysia than in Israel (Gini 2.4 points higher)
Israel: 38.3 (2022) · Malaysia: 40.7 (2021)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Israel and Malaysia are practically level
Israel: 0.4% (2022) · Malaysia: 0% (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Malaysia and Israel are practically level
Israel: 3.5% (2025) · Malaysia: 3.8% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Israel spends 7.8% of its GDP on the military, Malaysia 1.0%
Israel: 7.8% (2025) · Malaysia: 1% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Israel’s central government collects 23% of GDP in tax, Malaysia’s 12%
Israel: 23.2% (2024) · Malaysia: 12.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Israel’s price level (US = 100) is 3.2× Malaysia’s
Israel: 101% (2025) · Malaysia: 32% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Israel spends 8.7 times as much on health per person as Malaysia
Israel: $3,928 (2023) · Malaysia: $450 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Israel live 6.4 years longer than in Malaysia
Israel: 83.2 years (2024) · Malaysia: 76.8 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Malaysia is 2.6 times as likely to die before turning one as in Israel
Israel: 2.7 per 1,000 (2024) · Malaysia: 7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Israel has 62% more doctors per person than Malaysia
Israel: 3.8 per 1,000 (2023) · Malaysia: 2.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Israel has 60% more hospital beds per person than Malaysia
Israel: 3.1 per 1,000 (2023) · Malaysia: 2 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Israel is 38% higher than in Malaysia
Israel: 6.9 per 100k (2023) · Malaysia: 5 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
Malaysia and Israel are practically level
Israel: 23.3% (2024) · Malaysia: 23.6% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in Israel smoke, versus 17% in Malaysia
Israel: 21.2% (2024) · Malaysia: 16.9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Israel rate their lives 1.18 points higher than in Malaysia
Israel: 7.19 (2025) · Malaysia: 6.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Israel drink 5.2 times as much alcohol as in Malaysia
Israel: 4.2 litres (2023) · Malaysia: 0.8 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Israel has 57% more meat per person than Malaysia
Israel: 108.7 kg (2023) · Malaysia: 69.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Israel has 827 kcal more food per person per day than Malaysia
Israel: 3,754 kcal (2023) · Malaysia: 2,927 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Malaysia put in 417 more hours a year than in Israel
Israel: 1,890 hours (2023) · Malaysia: 2,308 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Israel went to school 2.4 years longer than in Malaysia
Israel: 13.5 years (2023) · Malaysia: 11.1 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Malaysia welcomed 3 times as many tourists per resident as Israel (2019)
Israel: 0.1 (2024) · Malaysia: 0.29 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
Israel has 3 more World Heritage sites than Malaysia (9 against 6)
Israel: 9 (2026) · Malaysia: 6 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Israel has won 20 Olympic medals, Malaysia 15
Israel: 20 (2026 edition) · Malaysia: 15 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in Malaysia are online, versus 88% in Israel
Israel: 88% (2024) · Malaysia: 98% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Israel is 46% faster than in Malaysia
Israel: 392 Mbps (2026) · Malaysia: 269 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Israel and Malaysia are practically level
Israel: 100% (2024) · Malaysia: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
92% of people in Israel live in cities, versus 77% in Malaysia
Israel: 92% (2025) · Malaysia: 77% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Israel has 177 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Malaysia 140
Israel: 177 (2024) · Malaysia: 140 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Israel’s railway network is 4% longer than Malaysia’s
Israel: 1,720 km (2021) · Malaysia: 1,655 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Malaysia fly 78% more passengers per resident than those from Israel
Israel: 0.73 (2023) · Malaysia: 1.3 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 58% of Malaysia, but only 6.8% of Israel
Israel: 6.8% (2024) · Malaysia: 57.7% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Malaysia emits 46% more CO₂ than someone in Israel
Israel: 5.6 t (2024) · Malaysia: 8.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
21% of Malaysia’s electricity is renewable, versus 17% in Israel
Israel: 16.9% (2025) · Malaysia: 20.7% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Israel carries 33% more fine dust than in Malaysia
Israel: 20.4 µg/m³ (2024) · Malaysia: 15.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2.2 times as likely to be murdered in Israel as in Malaysia
Israel: 1.6 per 100k (2022) · Malaysia: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Malaysia are 2.4 times as deadly as in Israel
Israel: 6.8 per 100k (2023) · Malaysia: 16.2 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Malaysia is on average 4.9 °C warmer than Israel
Israel: 21.1°C (2016–2025 avg) · Malaysia: 26°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Malaysia gets 15 times as much rain as Israel
Israel: 205 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Malaysia: 3,081 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Israel bigger than Malaysia?
Malaysia is larger. Israel fits inside Malaysia 15 times.
Which has more people, Israel or Malaysia?
Malaysia has 3.6 times as many people as Israel (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Israel or Malaysia?
People in Israel live 6.4 years longer than in Malaysia. Life expectancy at birth is 83.2 years in Israel and 76.8 in Malaysia.
Are people taller in Israel or Malaysia?
Men in Israel are 6.8 cm taller than in Malaysia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
