Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Malaysia is 9% bigger than Italy.
Italy: 302,070 km² (2023) · Malaysia: 330,411 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Italy’s coastline is 63% longer than Malaysia’s.
Italy: 7,600 km (2026 edition) · Malaysia: 4,675 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Italy’s highest peak towers 653 m above Malaysia’s.
Italy: 4,748 m (2026 edition) · Malaysia: 4,095 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Italy has 64% more people than Malaysia.
Italy: 58.9 million (2025) · Malaysia: 36 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Italy is 82% more densely populated than Malaysia.
Italy: 199 per km² (2025) · Malaysia: 110 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Italy are 5.2 cm taller than in Malaysia.
Italy: 174.4 cm (2019) · Malaysia: 169.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Italy are 4.8 cm taller than in Malaysia.
Italy: 161.8 cm (2019) · Malaysia: 157.1 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Italy is 17 years older than in Malaysia.
Italy: 47.5 years (2023) · Malaysia: 30.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Malaysia have 0.4 more children on average than in Italy.
Italy: 1.18 children per woman (2024) · Malaysia: 1.54 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
25% of people in Italy are 65 or older, versus 8.0% in Malaysia.
Italy: 25.1% (2025) · Malaysia: 8% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Italy has produced 3.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Malaysia none.
Italy: 3.4 (2025) · Malaysia: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Malaysia has 2 official languages, Italy 1.
Italy: 1 (2026) · Malaysia: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Italy’s economy is 5.4 times the size of Malaysia’s.
Italy: $2.55 trillion (2025) · Malaysia: $472 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Italy produces 51% more per person than Malaysia.
Italy: Int$62,803 (2025) · Malaysia: Int$41,498 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Malaysia than in Italy (Gini 6.4 points higher).
Italy: 34.3 (2023) · Malaysia: 40.7 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 6.4% in Italy, versus 3.8% in Malaysia.
Italy: 6.4% (2025) · Malaysia: 3.8% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Italy spends 1.6% of its GDP on the military, Malaysia 1.0%.
Italy: 1.6% (2024) · Malaysia: 1% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Italy’s price level (US = 100) is 2.2× Malaysia’s.
Italy: 69% (2025) · Malaysia: 32% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Italy spends 7.5 times as much on health per person as Malaysia.
Italy: $3,398 (2024) · Malaysia: $450 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Italy live 7.1 years longer than in Malaysia.
Italy: 84 years (2024) · Malaysia: 76.8 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Malaysia is 3 times as likely to die before turning one as in Italy.
Italy: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024) · Malaysia: 7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Italy has 79% more doctors per person than Malaysia.
Italy: 4.2 per 1,000 (2022) · Malaysia: 2.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
24% of adults in Malaysia are obese, versus 18% in Italy.
Italy: 17.9% (2024) · Malaysia: 23.6% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
22% of adults in Italy smoke, versus 17% in Malaysia.
Italy: 22.4% (2024) · Malaysia: 16.9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Italy rate their lives 0.57 points higher than in Malaysia.
Italy: 6.57 (2025) · Malaysia: 6.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Italy drink 10 times as much alcohol as in Malaysia.
Italy: 8.4 litres (2023) · Malaysia: 0.8 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Italy has 3% more meat per person than Malaysia.
Italy: 71.2 kg (2023) · Malaysia: 69.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Italy has 826 kcal more food per person per day than Malaysia.
Italy: 3,753 kcal (2023) · Malaysia: 2,927 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Malaysia put in 606 more hours a year than in Italy.
Italy: 1,701 hours (2023) · Malaysia: 2,308 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Malaysia went to school 0.26 years longer than in Italy.
Italy: 10.8 years (2023) · Malaysia: 11.1 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Italy welcomed 3.4 times as many tourists per resident as Malaysia (2019).
Italy: 0.98 (2024) · Malaysia: 0.29 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in Malaysia are online, versus 89% in Italy.
Italy: 89% (2024) · Malaysia: 98% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Italy and Malaysia are practically level.
Italy: 100% (2024) · Malaysia: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
77% of people in Malaysia live in cities, versus 70% in Italy.
Italy: 70% (2025) · Malaysia: 77% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Malaysia has 140 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Italy 133.
Italy: 133 (2024) · Malaysia: 140 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Italy’s railway network is 10 times as long as Malaysia’s.
Italy: 17,305 km (2021) · Malaysia: 1,655 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Malaysia fly 3.8 times as many passengers per resident as those from Italy.
Italy: 0.34 (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 Italy.
Italy: 32.9% (2023) · Malaysia: 57.7% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Malaysia emits 60% more CO₂ than someone in Italy.
Italy: 5.1 t (2024) · Malaysia: 8.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
49% of Italy’s electricity is renewable, versus 21% in Malaysia.
Italy: 48.8% (2025) · Malaysia: 20.7% (2025)
How clean is the air?
Malaysia and Italy are nearly identical here.
Italy: 15.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Malaysia: 15.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 29% more likely to be murdered in Malaysia than in Italy.
Italy: 0.6 per 100k (2023) · Malaysia: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Malaysia are 2.8 times as deadly as in Italy.
Italy: 5 per 100k (2021) · Malaysia: 13.9 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Malaysia is on average 12.1 °C warmer than Italy.
Italy: 13.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · Malaysia: 26°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Malaysia gets 3 times as much rain as Italy.
Italy: 1,030 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Malaysia: 3,081 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Italy bigger than Malaysia?
Malaysia is larger. Malaysia is 9% bigger than Italy.
Which has more people, Italy or Malaysia?
Italy has 64% more people than Malaysia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Italy or Malaysia?
People in Italy live 7.1 years longer than in Malaysia. Life expectancy at birth is 84.0 years in Italy and 76.8 in Malaysia.
Are people taller in Italy or Malaysia?
Men in Italy are 5.2 cm taller than in Malaysia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
