Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Kenya is 79% bigger than Malaysia.
Kenya: 591,969 km² (2023) · Malaysia: 330,411 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Malaysia’s coastline is 8.7 times as long as Kenya’s.
Kenya: 536 km (2026 edition) · Malaysia: 4,675 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Kenya’s highest peak towers 1,104 m above Malaysia’s.
Kenya: 5,199 m (2026 edition) · Malaysia: 4,095 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Kenya has 60% more people than Malaysia.
Kenya: 57.5 million (2025) · Malaysia: 36 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Malaysia is 11% more densely populated than Kenya.
Kenya: 99 per km² (2025) · Malaysia: 110 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Kenya are 1.3 cm taller than in Malaysia.
Kenya: 170.5 cm (2019) · Malaysia: 169.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Kenya are 2.4 cm taller than in Malaysia.
Kenya: 159.4 cm (2019) · Malaysia: 157.1 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Malaysia is 11 years older than in Kenya.
Kenya: 19.5 years (2023) · Malaysia: 30.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Kenya have 1.6 more children on average than in Malaysia.
Kenya: 3.17 children per woman (2024) · Malaysia: 1.54 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.0% of people in Malaysia are 65 or older, versus 3.0% in Kenya.
Kenya: 3% (2025) · Malaysia: 8% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Kenya has produced 0.2 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Malaysia 0.0.
Kenya: 0.2 (2025) · Malaysia: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Kenya and Malaysia are practically level.
Kenya: 2 (2026) · Malaysia: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Malaysia’s economy is 3.5 times the size of Kenya’s.
Kenya: $136 billion (2025) · Malaysia: $472 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Malaysia produces 5.9 times as much per person as Kenya.
Kenya: Int$7,016 (2025) · Malaysia: Int$41,498 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Malaysia than in Kenya (Gini 2.2 points higher).
Kenya: 38.5 (2022) · Malaysia: 40.7 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.4% in Kenya, versus 3.8% in Malaysia.
Kenya: 5.4% (2025) · Malaysia: 3.8% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Kenya and Malaysia are practically level.
Kenya: 1% (2024) · Malaysia: 1% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Kenya’s price level (US = 100) is 1.1× Malaysia’s.
Kenya: 34% (2025) · Malaysia: 32% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Malaysia spends 5.3 times as much on health per person as Kenya.
Kenya: $85 (2023) · Malaysia: $450 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Malaysia live 13 years longer than in Kenya.
Kenya: 63.8 years (2024) · Malaysia: 76.8 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Kenya is 4.9 times as likely to die before turning one as in Malaysia.
Kenya: 34.2 per 1,000 (2024) · Malaysia: 7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Malaysia has 8.1 times as many doctors per person as Kenya.
Kenya: 0.3 per 1,000 (2023) · Malaysia: 2.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
24% of adults in Malaysia are obese, versus 10% in Kenya.
Kenya: 10.4% (2024) · Malaysia: 23.6% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
17% of adults in Malaysia smoke, versus 9.6% in Kenya.
Kenya: 9.6% (2024) · Malaysia: 16.9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Malaysia rate their lives 1.33 points higher than in Kenya.
Kenya: 4.67 (2025) · Malaysia: 6.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Kenya drink 2.8 times as much alcohol as in Malaysia.
Kenya: 2.2 litres (2023) · Malaysia: 0.8 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Malaysia has 6.8 times as much meat per person as Kenya.
Kenya: 10.2 kg (2023) · Malaysia: 69.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Malaysia has 781 kcal more food per person per day than Kenya.
Kenya: 2,146 kcal (2023) · Malaysia: 2,927 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Malaysia put in 273 more hours a year than in Kenya.
Kenya: 2,035 hours (2023) · Malaysia: 2,308 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Malaysia went to school 2.5 years longer than in Kenya.
Kenya: 8.6 years (2023) · Malaysia: 11.1 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Malaysia welcomed 10 times as many tourists per resident as Kenya (2019).
Kenya: 0.03 (2017) · Malaysia: 0.29 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in Malaysia are online, versus 35% in Kenya.
Kenya: 35% (2024) · Malaysia: 98% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Malaysia have electricity, versus 77% in Kenya.
Kenya: 77% (2024) · Malaysia: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
77% of people in Malaysia live in cities, versus 32% in Kenya.
Kenya: 32% (2025) · Malaysia: 77% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Malaysia has 140 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Kenya 126.
Kenya: 126 (2024) · Malaysia: 140 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Kenya’s railway network is 2.3 times as long as Malaysia’s.
Kenya: 3,819 km (2018) · Malaysia: 1,655 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Malaysia fly 15 times as many passengers per resident as those from Kenya.
Kenya: 0.09 (2023) · Malaysia: 1.3 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 58% of Malaysia, but only 6.2% of Kenya.
Kenya: 6.2% (2023) · Malaysia: 57.7% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Malaysia emits 22 times as much CO₂ as someone in Kenya.
Kenya: 0.4 t (2024) · Malaysia: 8.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
90% of Kenya’s electricity is renewable, versus 21% in Malaysia.
Kenya: 90% (2025) · Malaysia: 20.7% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Kenya carries 44% more fine dust than in Malaysia.
Kenya: 22 µg/m³ (2024) · Malaysia: 15.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 6.6 times as likely to be murdered in Kenya as in Malaysia.
Kenya: 4.9 per 100k (2022) · Malaysia: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Kenya are 2 times as deadly as in Malaysia.
Kenya: 28.2 per 100k (2021) · Malaysia: 13.9 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Malaysia is on average 0.3 °C warmer than Kenya.
Kenya: 25.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · Malaysia: 26°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Malaysia gets 4.4 times as much rain as Kenya.
Kenya: 696 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Malaysia: 3,081 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Kenya bigger than Malaysia?
Kenya is larger. Kenya is 79% bigger than Malaysia.
Which has more people, Kenya or Malaysia?
Kenya has 60% more people than Malaysia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Kenya or Malaysia?
People in Malaysia live 13 years longer than in Kenya. Life expectancy at birth is 63.8 years in Kenya and 76.8 in Malaysia.
Are people taller in Kenya or Malaysia?
Men in Kenya are 1.3 cm taller than in Malaysia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
