Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Malaysia is 23% bigger than New Zealand.
Malaysia: 330,411 km² (2023) · New Zealand: 267,710 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
New Zealand’s coastline is 3.2 times as long as Malaysia’s.
Malaysia: 4,675 km (2026 edition) · New Zealand: 15,134 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Malaysia’s highest peak towers 4,065 m above New Zealand’s.
Malaysia: 4,095 m (2026 edition) · New Zealand: 30 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Malaysia has 6.8 times as many people as New Zealand.
Malaysia: 36 million (2025) · New Zealand: 5.32 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Malaysia is 5.4 times as densely populated as New Zealand.
Malaysia: 110 per km² (2025) · New Zealand: 20 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in New Zealand are 8.5 cm taller than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 169.2 cm (2019) · New Zealand: 177.7 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in New Zealand are 7.6 cm taller than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 157.1 cm (2019) · New Zealand: 164.7 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in New Zealand is 7.2 years older than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 30.1 years (2023) · New Zealand: 37.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in New Zealand have 0.0 more children on average than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 1.54 children per woman (2024) · New Zealand: 1.57 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
18% of people in New Zealand are 65 or older, versus 8.0% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 8% (2025) · New Zealand: 17.6% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
New Zealand has produced 5.6 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Malaysia 0.0.
Malaysia: 0 (2025) · New Zealand: 5.6 (2025)
How many official languages?
New Zealand has 3 official languages, Malaysia 2.
Malaysia: 2 (2026) · New Zealand: 3 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Malaysia’s economy is 79% larger than New Zealand’s.
Malaysia: $472 billion (2025) · New Zealand: $264 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
New Zealand produces 38% more per person than Malaysia.
Malaysia: Int$41,498 (2025) · New Zealand: Int$57,350 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Malaysia: 40.7 (2021) · New Zealand: no data
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.1% in New Zealand, versus 3.8% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 3.8% (2025) · New Zealand: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
New Zealand and Malaysia are practically level.
Malaysia: 1% (2024) · New Zealand: 1.2% (2024)
How expensive is it?
New Zealand’s price level (US = 100) is 2.7× Malaysia’s.
Malaysia: 32% (2025) · New Zealand: 86% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
New Zealand spends 11 times as much on health per person as Malaysia.
Malaysia: $450 (2023) · New Zealand: $5,022 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in New Zealand live 5.2 years longer than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 76.8 years (2024) · New Zealand: 82 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Malaysia is 75% more likely to die before turning one than in New Zealand.
Malaysia: 7 per 1,000 (2024) · New Zealand: 4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
New Zealand has 54% more doctors per person than Malaysia.
Malaysia: 2.3 per 1,000 (2023) · New Zealand: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
35% of adults in New Zealand are obese, versus 24% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 23.6% (2024) · New Zealand: 34.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
17% of adults in Malaysia smoke, versus 9.3% in New Zealand.
Malaysia: 16.9% (2024) · New Zealand: 9.3% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in New Zealand rate their lives 0.99 points higher than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 6.01 (2025) · New Zealand: 7.00 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in New Zealand drink 11 times as much alcohol as in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 0.8 litres (2023) · New Zealand: 8.9 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
New Zealand has 15% more meat per person than Malaysia.
Malaysia: 69.1 kg (2023) · New Zealand: 79.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
New Zealand has 195 kcal more food per person per day than Malaysia.
Malaysia: 2,927 kcal (2023) · New Zealand: 3,122 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Malaysia put in 600 more hours a year than in New Zealand.
Malaysia: 2,308 hours (2023) · New Zealand: 1,708 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in New Zealand went to school 1.8 years longer than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 11.1 years (2023) · New Zealand: 12.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
New Zealand welcomed 2.1 times as many tourists per resident as Malaysia (2019).
Malaysia: 0.29 (2022) · New Zealand: 0.6 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in Malaysia are online, versus 94% in New Zealand.
Malaysia: 98% (2024) · New Zealand: 94% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Malaysia and New Zealand are practically level.
Malaysia: 100% (2024) · New Zealand: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
84% of people in New Zealand live in cities, versus 77% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 77% (2025) · New Zealand: 84% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Malaysia has 140 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, New Zealand 130.
Malaysia: 140 (2024) · New Zealand: 130 (2024)
How much railway is there?
New Zealand’s railway network is 2.5 times as long as Malaysia’s.
Malaysia: 1,655 km (2021) · New Zealand: 4,128 km (2018)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from New Zealand fly 2.2 times as many passengers per resident as those from Malaysia.
Malaysia: 1.3 (2023) · New Zealand: 2.82 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 58% of Malaysia, but only 38% of New Zealand.
Malaysia: 57.7% (2023) · New Zealand: 37.8% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Malaysia emits 31% more CO₂ than someone in New Zealand.
Malaysia: 8.2 t (2024) · New Zealand: 6.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
89% of New Zealand’s electricity is renewable, versus 21% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 20.7% (2025) · New Zealand: 88.5% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Malaysia carries 2.2 times as much fine dust as in New Zealand.
Malaysia: 15.3 µg/m³ (2024) · New Zealand: 7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2 times as likely to be murdered in New Zealand as in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · New Zealand: 1.5 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Malaysia are 2.1 times as deadly as in New Zealand.
Malaysia: 13.9 per 100k (2021) · New Zealand: 6.6 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Malaysia is on average 14.9 °C warmer than New Zealand.
Malaysia: 26°C (2016–2025 avg) · New Zealand: 11.1°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Malaysia gets 93% more rain than New Zealand.
Malaysia: 3,081 mm (2016–2025 avg) · New Zealand: 1,596 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Malaysia bigger than New Zealand?
Malaysia is larger. Malaysia is 23% bigger than New Zealand.
Which has more people, Malaysia or New Zealand?
Malaysia has 6.8 times as many people as New Zealand (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Malaysia or New Zealand?
People in New Zealand live 5.2 years longer than in Malaysia. Life expectancy at birth is 76.8 years in Malaysia and 82.0 in New Zealand.
Are people taller in Malaysia or New Zealand?
Men in New Zealand are 8.5 cm taller than in Malaysia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
