Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Malaysia fits inside Nigeria 2.8 times.
Malaysia: 330,411 km² (2023) · Nigeria: 923,770 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Malaysia’s coastline is 5.5 times as long as Nigeria’s.
Malaysia: 4,675 km (2026 edition) · Nigeria: 853 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Malaysia’s highest peak towers 1,676 m above Nigeria’s.
Malaysia: 4,095 m (2026 edition) · Nigeria: 2,419 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Nigeria has 6.6 times as many people as Malaysia.
Malaysia: 36 million (2025) · Nigeria: 238 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Nigeria is 2.4 times as densely populated as Malaysia.
Malaysia: 110 per km² (2025) · Nigeria: 261 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Nigeria are 2.4 cm taller than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 169.2 cm (2019) · Nigeria: 171.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Nigeria are 1.1 cm taller than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 157.1 cm (2019) · Nigeria: 158.1 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Malaysia is 12 years older than in Nigeria.
Malaysia: 30.1 years (2023) · Nigeria: 17.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Nigeria have 2.8 more children on average than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 1.54 children per woman (2024) · Nigeria: 4.38 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.0% of people in Malaysia are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
Malaysia: 8% (2025) · Nigeria: 3.1% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Nigeria has produced 0.0 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Malaysia 0.0.
Malaysia: 0 (2025) · Nigeria: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Malaysia has 2 official languages, Nigeria 1.
Malaysia: 2 (2026) · Nigeria: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Malaysia’s economy is 62% larger than Nigeria’s.
Malaysia: $472 billion (2025) · Nigeria: $291 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Malaysia produces 4.4 times as much per person as Nigeria.
Malaysia: Int$41,498 (2025) · Nigeria: Int$9,532 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Malaysia than in Nigeria (Gini 6.8 points higher).
Malaysia: 40.7 (2021) · Nigeria: 33.9 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.8% in Malaysia, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
Malaysia: 3.8% (2025) · Nigeria: 3.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Malaysia and Nigeria are practically level.
Malaysia: 1% (2024) · Nigeria: 0.6% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Malaysia’s price level (US = 100) is 2.5× Nigeria’s.
Malaysia: 32% (2025) · Nigeria: 13% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Malaysia spends 6.7 times as much on health per person as Nigeria.
Malaysia: $450 (2023) · Nigeria: $67 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Malaysia live 22 years longer than in Nigeria.
Malaysia: 76.8 years (2024) · Nigeria: 54.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Nigeria is 10 times as likely to die before turning one as in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 7 per 1,000 (2024) · Nigeria: 69.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Malaysia has 6.2 times as many doctors per person as Nigeria.
Malaysia: 2.3 per 1,000 (2023) · Nigeria: 0.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
24% of adults in Malaysia are obese, versus 12% in Nigeria.
Malaysia: 23.6% (2024) · Nigeria: 12.1% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
17% of adults in Malaysia smoke, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
Malaysia: 16.9% (2024) · Nigeria: 3.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Malaysia rate their lives 1.22 points higher than in Nigeria.
Malaysia: 6.01 (2025) · Nigeria: 4.79 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Nigeria drink 2.5 times as much alcohol as in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 0.8 litres (2023) · Nigeria: 2 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Malaysia has 9.7 times as much meat per person as Nigeria.
Malaysia: 69.1 kg (2023) · Nigeria: 7.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Malaysia has 456 kcal more food per person per day than Nigeria.
Malaysia: 2,927 kcal (2023) · Nigeria: 2,470 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Malaysia put in 246 more hours a year than in Nigeria.
Malaysia: 2,308 hours (2023) · Nigeria: 2,062 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Malaysia went to school 3.5 years longer than in Nigeria.
Malaysia: 11.1 years (2023) · Nigeria: 7.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Malaysia welcomed 125 times as many tourists per resident as Nigeria (2019).
Malaysia: 0.29 (2022) · Nigeria: 0 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in Malaysia are online, versus 41% in Nigeria.
Malaysia: 98% (2024) · Nigeria: 41% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Malaysia have electricity, versus 63% in Nigeria.
Malaysia: 100% (2024) · Nigeria: 62.5% (2024)
How many live in cities?
77% of people in Malaysia live in cities, versus 64% in Nigeria.
Malaysia: 77% (2025) · Nigeria: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Malaysia has 140 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Nigeria 71.
Malaysia: 140 (2024) · Nigeria: 71 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Nigeria’s railway network is 2.1 times as long as Malaysia’s.
Malaysia: 1,655 km (2021) · Nigeria: 3,528 km (2015)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Malaysia fly 59 times as many passengers per resident as those from Nigeria.
Malaysia: 1.3 (2023) · Nigeria: 0.02 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 58% of Malaysia, but only 23% of Nigeria.
Malaysia: 57.7% (2023) · Nigeria: 23.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Malaysia emits 14 times as much CO₂ as someone in Nigeria.
Malaysia: 8.2 t (2024) · Nigeria: 0.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
31% of Nigeria’s electricity is renewable, versus 21% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 20.7% (2025) · Nigeria: 31.3% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Nigeria carries 3.3 times as much fine dust as in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 15.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Nigeria: 50 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 21 times as likely to be murdered in Nigeria as in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · Nigeria: 15.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Nigeria are 24% deadlier than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 13.9 per 100k (2021) · Nigeria: 17.2 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Nigeria is on average 1.4 °C warmer than Malaysia.
Malaysia: 26°C (2016–2025 avg) · Nigeria: 27.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Malaysia gets 3 times as much rain as Nigeria.
Malaysia: 3,081 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Nigeria: 1,044 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Malaysia bigger than Nigeria?
Nigeria is larger. Malaysia fits inside Nigeria 2.8 times.
Which has more people, Malaysia or Nigeria?
Nigeria has 6.6 times as many people as Malaysia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Malaysia or Nigeria?
People in Malaysia live 22 years longer than in Nigeria. Life expectancy at birth is 76.8 years in Malaysia and 54.6 in Nigeria.
Are people taller in Malaysia or Nigeria?
Men in Nigeria are 2.4 cm taller than in Malaysia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
