Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The Netherlands fits inside Malaysia 8 times
Malaysia: 330,534 km² (2024) · Netherlands: 41,540 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Malaysia’s coastline is 10 times as long as the Netherlands’
Malaysia: 4,675 km (2026 edition) · Netherlands: 451 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Malaysia’s highest peak towers 3,233 m above the Netherlands’
Malaysia: 4,095 m (2026 edition) · Netherlands: 862 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 53% of the Netherlands, versus 25% of Malaysia
Malaysia: 24.8% (2024) · Netherlands: 53.4% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Malaysia has 2 times as many people as the Netherlands
Malaysia: 36 million (2025) · Netherlands: 18.1 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Netherlands is 4.9 times as densely populated as Malaysia
Malaysia: 110 per km² (2025) · Netherlands: 537 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the Netherlands are 14.6 cm taller than in Malaysia
Malaysia: 169.2 cm (2019) · Netherlands: 183.8 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the Netherlands are 13.3 cm taller than in Malaysia
Malaysia: 157.1 cm (2019) · Netherlands: 170.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the Netherlands is 11 years older than in Malaysia
Malaysia: 30.1 years (2023) · Netherlands: 41.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Malaysia have 0.1 more children on average than in the Netherlands
Malaysia: 1.54 children per woman (2024) · Netherlands: 1.43 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in the Netherlands are 65 or older, versus 8.0% in Malaysia
Malaysia: 8% (2025) · Netherlands: 20.9% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
The Netherlands hosts 3.8 times as many refugees per resident as Malaysia
Malaysia: 4.2 per 1,000 (2025) · Netherlands: 15.7 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The Netherlands has produced 11.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Malaysia none
Malaysia: 0 (2026) · Netherlands: 11.1 (2026)
How many official languages?
Malaysia has 2 official languages, the Netherlands 1
Malaysia: 2 (2026) · Netherlands: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The Netherlands’ economy is 2.8 times the size of Malaysia’s
Malaysia: $472 billion (2025) · Netherlands: $1.33 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The Netherlands produces 2.1 times as much per person as Malaysia
Malaysia: Int$41,498 (2025) · Netherlands: Int$87,320 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Malaysia than in the Netherlands (Gini 15 points higher)
Malaysia: 40.7 (2021) · Netherlands: 25.7 (2021)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
The Netherlands and Malaysia are practically level
Malaysia: 0% (2021) · Netherlands: 0.1% (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
The Netherlands and Malaysia are practically level
Malaysia: 3.8% (2025) · Netherlands: 3.9% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The Netherlands spends 2.2% of its GDP on the military, Malaysia 1.0%
Malaysia: 1% (2025) · Netherlands: 2.2% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
The Netherlands’ central government collects 25% of GDP in tax, Malaysia’s 12%
Malaysia: 12.4% (2024) · Netherlands: 25.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The Netherlands’ price level (US = 100) is 2.7× Malaysia’s
Malaysia: 32% (2025) · Netherlands: 84% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The Netherlands spends 15 times as much on health per person as Malaysia
Malaysia: $450 (2023) · Netherlands: $6,845 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in the Netherlands live 5.1 years longer than in Malaysia
Malaysia: 76.8 years (2024) · Netherlands: 82 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Malaysia is 2.1 times as likely to die before turning one as in the Netherlands
Malaysia: 7 per 1,000 (2024) · Netherlands: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The Netherlands has 66% more doctors per person than Malaysia
Malaysia: 2.3 per 1,000 (2023) · Netherlands: 3.9 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
The Netherlands has 23% more hospital beds per person than Malaysia
Malaysia: 2 per 1,000 (2023) · Netherlands: 2.4 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in the Netherlands is 92% higher than in Malaysia
Malaysia: 5 per 100k (2023) · Netherlands: 9.6 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
24% of adults in Malaysia are obese, versus 17% in the Netherlands
Malaysia: 23.6% (2024) · Netherlands: 16.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in the Netherlands smoke, versus 17% in Malaysia
Malaysia: 16.9% (2024) · Netherlands: 20.5% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the Netherlands rate their lives 1.22 points higher than in Malaysia
Malaysia: 6.01 (2025) · Netherlands: 7.22 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the Netherlands drink 11 times as much alcohol as in Malaysia
Malaysia: 0.8 litres (2023) · Netherlands: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The Netherlands has 4% more meat per person than Malaysia
Malaysia: 69.1 kg (2023) · Netherlands: 71.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The Netherlands has 540 kcal more food per person per day than Malaysia
Malaysia: 2,927 kcal (2023) · Netherlands: 3,467 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Malaysia put in 869 more hours a year than in the Netherlands
Malaysia: 2,308 hours (2023) · Netherlands: 1,439 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the Netherlands went to school 1.6 years longer than in Malaysia
Malaysia: 11.1 years (2023) · Netherlands: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The Netherlands welcomed 3.1 times as many tourists per resident as Malaysia (2019)
Malaysia: 0.29 (2022) · Netherlands: 0.91 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
The Netherlands has 7 more World Heritage sites than Malaysia (13 against 6)
Malaysia: 6 (2026) · Netherlands: 13 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
The Netherlands has won 524 Olympic medals, Malaysia 15
Malaysia: 15 (2026 edition) · Netherlands: 524 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in Malaysia are online, versus 97% in the Netherlands
Malaysia: 98% (2024) · Netherlands: 97% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in the Netherlands is 21% faster than in Malaysia
Malaysia: 269 Mbps (2026) · Netherlands: 324 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Malaysia and the Netherlands are practically level
Malaysia: 100% (2024) · Netherlands: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
96% of people in the Netherlands live in cities, versus 77% in Malaysia
Malaysia: 77% (2025) · Netherlands: 96% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Malaysia has 140 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the Netherlands 129
Malaysia: 140 (2024) · Netherlands: 129 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The Netherlands’ railway network is 84% longer than Malaysia’s
Malaysia: 1,655 km (2021) · Netherlands: 3,041 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the Netherlands fly 76% more passengers per resident than those from Malaysia
Malaysia: 1.3 (2023) · Netherlands: 2.29 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 58% of Malaysia, but only 11% of the Netherlands
Malaysia: 57.7% (2024) · Netherlands: 11% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Malaysia emits 30% more CO₂ than someone in the Netherlands
Malaysia: 8.2 t (2024) · Netherlands: 6.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
51% of the Netherlands’ electricity is renewable, versus 21% in Malaysia
Malaysia: 20.7% (2025) · Netherlands: 51.2% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Malaysia carries 59% more fine dust than in the Netherlands
Malaysia: 15.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Netherlands: 9.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 6% more likely to be murdered in Malaysia than in the Netherlands
Malaysia: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · Netherlands: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Malaysia are 3.2 times as deadly as in the Netherlands
Malaysia: 16.2 per 100k (2023) · Netherlands: 5.1 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Malaysia is on average 14.8 °C warmer than the Netherlands
Malaysia: 26°C (2016–2025 avg) · Netherlands: 11.2°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Malaysia gets 3.5 times as much rain as the Netherlands
Malaysia: 3,081 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Netherlands: 887 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Malaysia bigger than the Netherlands?
Malaysia is larger. The Netherlands fits inside Malaysia 8 times.
Which has more people, Malaysia or the Netherlands?
Malaysia has 2 times as many people as the Netherlands (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Malaysia or the Netherlands?
People in the Netherlands live 5.1 years longer than in Malaysia. Life expectancy at birth is 76.8 years in Malaysia and 82.0 in the Netherlands.
Are people taller in Malaysia or the Netherlands?
Men in the Netherlands are 14.6 cm taller than in Malaysia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
