Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Japan is 14% bigger than Malaysia.
Japan: 377,969 km² (2023) · Malaysia: 330,411 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Japan’s coastline is 6.4 times as long as Malaysia’s.
Japan: 29,751 km (2026 edition) · Malaysia: 4,675 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Malaysia’s highest peak towers 319 m above Japan’s.
Japan: 3,776 m (2026 edition) · Malaysia: 4,095 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Japan has 3.4 times as many people as Malaysia.
Japan: 123 million (2025) · Malaysia: 36 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Japan is 3.1 times as densely populated as Malaysia.
Japan: 338 per km² (2025) · Malaysia: 110 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Japan are 2.9 cm taller than in Malaysia.
Japan: 172.1 cm (2019) · Malaysia: 169.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Japan are 1.4 cm taller than in Malaysia.
Japan: 158.5 cm (2019) · Malaysia: 157.1 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Japan is 19 years older than in Malaysia.
Japan: 49 years (2023) · Malaysia: 30.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Malaysia have 0.4 more children on average than in Japan.
Japan: 1.15 children per woman (2024) · Malaysia: 1.54 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
30% of people in Japan are 65 or older, versus 8.0% in Malaysia.
Japan: 30% (2025) · Malaysia: 8% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Japan has produced 2.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Malaysia 0.0.
Japan: 2.4 (2025) · Malaysia: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Malaysia has 2 official languages, Japan 1.
Japan: 1 (2026) · Malaysia: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Japan’s economy is 9.4 times the size of Malaysia’s.
Japan: $4.44 trillion (2025) · Malaysia: $472 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Japan produces 34% more per person than Malaysia.
Japan: Int$55,422 (2025) · Malaysia: Int$41,498 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Malaysia than in Japan (Gini 8.4 points higher).
Japan: 32.3 (2020) · Malaysia: 40.7 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.8% in Malaysia, versus 2.5% in Japan.
Japan: 2.5% (2025) · Malaysia: 3.8% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Japan and Malaysia are practically level.
Japan: 1.4% (2024) · Malaysia: 1% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Japan’s price level (US = 100) is 2.1× Malaysia’s.
Japan: 65% (2025) · Malaysia: 32% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Japan spends 8.1 times as much on health per person as Malaysia.
Japan: $3,638 (2023) · Malaysia: $450 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Japan live 7.2 years longer than in Malaysia.
Japan: 84 years (2024) · Malaysia: 76.8 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Malaysia is 3.9 times as likely to die before turning one as in Japan.
Japan: 1.8 per 1,000 (2024) · Malaysia: 7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Japan has 13% more doctors per person than Malaysia.
Japan: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Malaysia: 2.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
24% of adults in Malaysia are obese, versus 5.2% in Japan.
Japan: 5.2% (2024) · Malaysia: 23.6% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
18% of adults in Japan smoke, versus 17% in Malaysia.
Japan: 17.5% (2024) · Malaysia: 16.9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Japan rate their lives 0.13 points higher than in Malaysia.
Japan: 6.13 (2025) · Malaysia: 6.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Japan drink 7.7 times as much alcohol as in Malaysia.
Japan: 6.3 litres (2023) · Malaysia: 0.8 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Malaysia has 15% more meat per person than Japan.
Japan: 59.9 kg (2022) · Malaysia: 69.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Malaysia has 256 kcal more food per person per day than Japan.
Japan: 2,670 kcal (2022) · Malaysia: 2,927 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Malaysia put in 654 more hours a year than in Japan.
Japan: 1,654 hours (2023) · Malaysia: 2,308 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Japan went to school 1.6 years longer than in Malaysia.
Japan: 12.7 years (2023) · Malaysia: 11.1 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Japan welcomed 2% more tourists per resident than Malaysia (2019).
Japan: 0.3 (2024) · Malaysia: 0.29 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in Malaysia are online, versus 86% in Japan.
Japan: 86% (2024) · Malaysia: 98% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Japan and Malaysia are practically level.
Japan: 100% (2024) · Malaysia: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
92% of people in Japan live in cities, versus 77% in Malaysia.
Japan: 92% (2025) · Malaysia: 77% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Japan has 178 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Malaysia 140.
Japan: 178 (2023) · Malaysia: 140 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Japan’s railway network is 12 times as long as Malaysia’s.
Japan: 20,087 km (2011) · Malaysia: 1,655 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Malaysia fly 33% more passengers per resident than those from Japan.
Japan: 0.98 (2023) · Malaysia: 1.3 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 68% of Japan, but only 58% of Malaysia.
Japan: 68.4% (2023) · Malaysia: 57.7% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Malaysia emits 5% more CO₂ than someone in Japan.
Japan: 7.8 t (2024) · Malaysia: 8.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
24% of Japan’s electricity is renewable, versus 21% in Malaysia.
Japan: 23.6% (2025) · Malaysia: 20.7% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Malaysia carries 46% more fine dust than in Japan.
Japan: 10.5 µg/m³ (2024) · Malaysia: 15.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 3.2 times as likely to be murdered in Malaysia as in Japan.
Japan: 0.2 per 100k (2023) · Malaysia: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Malaysia are 5.1 times as deadly as in Japan.
Japan: 2.7 per 100k (2021) · Malaysia: 13.9 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Malaysia is on average 13.2 °C warmer than Japan.
Japan: 12.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Malaysia: 26°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Malaysia gets 69% more rain than Japan.
Japan: 1,824 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Malaysia: 3,081 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Japan bigger than Malaysia?
Japan is larger. Japan is 14% bigger than Malaysia.
Which has more people, Japan or Malaysia?
Japan has 3.4 times as many people as Malaysia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Japan or Malaysia?
People in Japan live 7.2 years longer than in Malaysia. Life expectancy at birth is 84.0 years in Japan and 76.8 in Malaysia.
Are people taller in Japan or Malaysia?
Men in Japan are 2.9 cm taller than in Malaysia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
