Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Malaysia fits inside Kazakhstan 8.2 times
Kazakhstan: 2,724,900 km² (2024) · Malaysia: 330,534 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Kazakhstan: 0 km (2026 edition) · Malaysia: 4,675 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Kazakhstan’s highest peak towers 2,915 m above Malaysia’s
Kazakhstan: 7,010 m (2026 edition) · Malaysia: 4,095 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 79% of Kazakhstan, versus 25% of Malaysia
Kazakhstan: 79.2% (2024) · Malaysia: 24.8% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Malaysia has 73% more people than Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan: 20.8 million (2025) · Malaysia: 36 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Malaysia is 14 times as densely populated as Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan: 8 per km² (2025) · Malaysia: 110 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Kazakhstan are 6.3 cm taller than in Malaysia
Kazakhstan: 175.5 cm (2019) · Malaysia: 169.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Kazakhstan are 4.7 cm taller than in Malaysia
Kazakhstan: 161.7 cm (2019) · Malaysia: 157.1 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Malaysia is 0.59 years older than in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan: 29.5 years (2023) · Malaysia: 30.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Kazakhstan have 1.4 more children on average than in Malaysia
Kazakhstan: 2.98 children per woman (2024) · Malaysia: 1.54 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
9.0% of people in Kazakhstan are 65 or older, versus 8.0% in Malaysia
Kazakhstan: 9% (2025) · Malaysia: 8% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Malaysia hosts 20 times as many refugees per resident as Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan: 0.2 per 1,000 (2025) · Malaysia: 4.2 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Kazakhstan and Malaysia are practically level
Kazakhstan: 0 (2026) · Malaysia: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Kazakhstan and Malaysia are practically level
Kazakhstan: 2 (2026) · Malaysia: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Malaysia’s economy is 54% larger than Kazakhstan’s
Kazakhstan: $306 billion (2025) · Malaysia: $472 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Kazakhstan produces 7% more per person than Malaysia
Kazakhstan: Int$44,294 (2025) · Malaysia: Int$41,498 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Malaysia than in Kazakhstan (Gini 11.5 points higher)
Kazakhstan: 29.2 (2021) · Malaysia: 40.7 (2021)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Kazakhstan and Malaysia are practically level
Kazakhstan: 0% (2021) · Malaysia: 0% (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.8% in Kazakhstan, versus 3.8% in Malaysia
Kazakhstan: 4.8% (2025) · Malaysia: 3.8% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Malaysia spends 1.0% of its GDP on the military, Kazakhstan 0.4%
Kazakhstan: 0.4% (2025) · Malaysia: 1% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Malaysia’s central government collects 12% of GDP in tax, Kazakhstan’s 12%
Kazakhstan: 11.9% (2023) · Malaysia: 12.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Kazakhstan’s price level (US = 100) is 1× Malaysia’s
Kazakhstan: 33% (2025) · Malaysia: 32% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Kazakhstan spends 9% more on health per person than Malaysia
Kazakhstan: $490 (2023) · Malaysia: $450 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Malaysia live 2.3 years longer than in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan: 74.5 years (2024) · Malaysia: 76.8 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Kazakhstan is 6% more likely to die before turning one than in Malaysia
Kazakhstan: 7.4 per 1,000 (2024) · Malaysia: 7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Kazakhstan has 60% more doctors per person than Malaysia
Kazakhstan: 3.8 per 1,000 (2023) · Malaysia: 2.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Kazakhstan has 3.3 times as many hospital beds per person as Malaysia
Kazakhstan: 6.5 per 1,000 (2020) · Malaysia: 2 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Kazakhstan is 3.6 times that in Malaysia
Kazakhstan: 18.2 per 100k (2023) · Malaysia: 5 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
24% of adults in Malaysia are obese, versus 22% in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan: 22.4% (2024) · Malaysia: 23.6% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in Kazakhstan smoke, versus 17% in Malaysia
Kazakhstan: 21.1% (2024) · Malaysia: 16.9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Kazakhstan rate their lives 0.63 points higher than in Malaysia
Kazakhstan: 6.63 (2025) · Malaysia: 6.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Kazakhstan drink 7.4 times as much alcohol as in Malaysia
Kazakhstan: 6 litres (2023) · Malaysia: 0.8 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Malaysia has 6% more meat per person than Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan: 64.9 kg (2023) · Malaysia: 69.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Kazakhstan has 209 kcal more food per person per day than Malaysia
Kazakhstan: 3,136 kcal (2023) · Malaysia: 2,927 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Malaysia put in 333 more hours a year than in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan: 1,975 hours (2023) · Malaysia: 2,308 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Kazakhstan went to school 1.5 years longer than in Malaysia
Kazakhstan: 12.5 years (2023) · Malaysia: 11.1 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Kazakhstan welcomed 74% more tourists per resident than Malaysia (2019)
Kazakhstan: 0.5 (2024) · Malaysia: 0.29 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
Kazakhstan has 1 more World Heritage site than Malaysia (7 against 6)
Kazakhstan: 7 (2026) · Malaysia: 6 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Kazakhstan has won 87 Olympic medals, Malaysia 15
Kazakhstan: 87 (2026 edition) · Malaysia: 15 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in Malaysia are online, versus 93% in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan: 93% (2024) · Malaysia: 98% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Malaysia is 63% faster than in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan: 165 Mbps (2026) · Malaysia: 269 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Kazakhstan and Malaysia are practically level
Kazakhstan: 100% (2024) · Malaysia: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
77% of people in Malaysia live in cities, versus 62% in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan: 62% (2025) · Malaysia: 77% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Malaysia has 140 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Kazakhstan 127
Kazakhstan: 127 (2024) · Malaysia: 140 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Kazakhstan’s railway network is 9.7 times as long as Malaysia’s
Kazakhstan: 16,006 km (2021) · Malaysia: 1,655 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Malaysia fly 2.3 times as many passengers per resident as those from Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan: 0.57 (2023) · Malaysia: 1.3 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 58% of Malaysia, but only 1.3% of Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan: 1.3% (2024) · Malaysia: 57.7% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Kazakhstan emits 71% more CO₂ than someone in Malaysia
Kazakhstan: 13.9 t (2024) · Malaysia: 8.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
21% of Malaysia’s electricity is renewable, versus 15% in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan: 14.9% (2025) · Malaysia: 20.7% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Kazakhstan carries 5% more fine dust than in Malaysia
Kazakhstan: 16 µg/m³ (2024) · Malaysia: 15.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 3.5 times as likely to be murdered in Kazakhstan as in Malaysia
Kazakhstan: 2.6 per 100k (2022) · Malaysia: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Kazakhstan are 26% deadlier than in Malaysia
Kazakhstan: 20.4 per 100k (2023) · Malaysia: 16.2 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Malaysia is on average 18.2 °C warmer than Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan: 7.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Malaysia: 26°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Malaysia gets 9.4 times as much rain as Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan: 328 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 Kazakhstan bigger than Malaysia?
Kazakhstan is larger. Malaysia fits inside Kazakhstan 8.2 times.
Which has more people, Kazakhstan or Malaysia?
Malaysia has 73% more people than Kazakhstan (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Kazakhstan or Malaysia?
People in Malaysia live 2.3 years longer than in Kazakhstan. Life expectancy at birth is 74.5 years in Kazakhstan and 76.8 in Malaysia.
Are people taller in Kazakhstan or Malaysia?
Men in Kazakhstan are 6.3 cm taller than in Malaysia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
