Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Malaysia is 10% bigger than the Philippines.
Malaysia: 330,411 km² (2023) · Philippines: 300,000 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The Philippines’ coastline is 7.8 times as long as Malaysia’s.
Malaysia: 4,675 km (2026 edition) · Philippines: 36,289 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Malaysia’s highest peak towers 1,141 m above the Philippines’.
Malaysia: 4,095 m (2026 edition) · Philippines: 2,954 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The Philippines has 3.2 times as many people as Malaysia.
Malaysia: 36 million (2025) · Philippines: 117 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Philippines is 3.6 times as densely populated as Malaysia.
Malaysia: 110 per km² (2025) · Philippines: 392 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Malaysia are 4.0 cm taller than in the Philippines.
Malaysia: 169.2 cm (2019) · Philippines: 165.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Malaysia are 2.9 cm taller than in the Philippines.
Malaysia: 157.1 cm (2019) · Philippines: 154.1 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Malaysia is 4.8 years older than in the Philippines.
Malaysia: 30.1 years (2023) · Philippines: 25.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the Philippines have 0.4 more children on average than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 1.54 children per woman (2024) · Philippines: 1.89 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.0% of people in Malaysia are 65 or older, versus 5.7% in the Philippines.
Malaysia: 8% (2025) · Philippines: 5.7% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The Philippines has produced 0.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Malaysia 0.0.
Malaysia: 0 (2025) · Philippines: 0.1 (2025)
How many official languages?
Malaysia and the Philippines are practically level.
Malaysia: 2 (2026) · Philippines: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The Philippines’ economy is 3% larger than Malaysia’s.
Malaysia: $472 billion (2025) · Philippines: $487 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Malaysia produces 3.3 times as much per person as the Philippines.
Malaysia: Int$41,498 (2025) · Philippines: Int$12,577 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Malaysia than in the Philippines (Gini 1.4 points higher).
Malaysia: 40.7 (2021) · Philippines: 39.3 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.8% in Malaysia, versus 2.2% in the Philippines.
Malaysia: 3.8% (2025) · Philippines: 2.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The Philippines and Malaysia are practically level.
Malaysia: 1% (2024) · Philippines: 1.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The Philippines’ price level (US = 100) is 1× Malaysia’s.
Malaysia: 32% (2025) · Philippines: 33% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Malaysia spends 2.3 times as much on health per person as the Philippines.
Malaysia: $450 (2023) · Philippines: $194 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Malaysia live 6.9 years longer than in the Philippines.
Malaysia: 76.8 years (2024) · Philippines: 69.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the Philippines is 3.1 times as likely to die before turning one as in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 7 per 1,000 (2024) · Philippines: 21.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Malaysia has 3 times as many doctors per person as the Philippines.
Malaysia: 2.3 per 1,000 (2023) · Philippines: 0.8 per 1,000 (2021)
How common is obesity?
24% of adults in Malaysia are obese, versus 9.7% in the Philippines.
Malaysia: 23.6% (2024) · Philippines: 9.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
20% of adults in the Philippines smoke, versus 17% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 16.9% (2024) · Philippines: 19.9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the Philippines rate their lives 0.20 points higher than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 6.01 (2025) · Philippines: 6.21 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the Philippines drink 7.5 times as much alcohol as in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 0.8 litres (2023) · Philippines: 6.1 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Malaysia has 2.1 times as much meat per person as the Philippines.
Malaysia: 69.1 kg (2023) · Philippines: 33.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The Philippines has 56 kcal more food per person per day than Malaysia.
Malaysia: 2,927 kcal (2023) · Philippines: 2,983 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Malaysia put in 212 more hours a year than in the Philippines.
Malaysia: 2,308 hours (2023) · Philippines: 2,096 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Malaysia went to school 1.1 years longer than in the Philippines.
Malaysia: 11.1 years (2023) · Philippines: 10 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Malaysia welcomed 12 times as many tourists per resident as the Philippines (2019).
Malaysia: 0.29 (2022) · Philippines: 0.02 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in Malaysia are online, versus 67% in the Philippines.
Malaysia: 98% (2024) · Philippines: 67% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Malaysia have electricity, versus 95% in the Philippines.
Malaysia: 100% (2024) · Philippines: 94.8% (2024)
How many live in cities?
77% of people in Malaysia live in cities, versus 56% in the Philippines.
Malaysia: 77% (2025) · Philippines: 56% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Malaysia has 140 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the Philippines 115.
Malaysia: 140 (2024) · Philippines: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Malaysia’s railway network is 3.3 times as long as the Philippines’.
Malaysia: 1,655 km (2021) · Philippines: 509 km (2016)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Malaysia fly 3.7 times as many passengers per resident as those from the Philippines.
Malaysia: 1.3 (2023) · Philippines: 0.36 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 58% of Malaysia, but only 24% of the Philippines.
Malaysia: 57.7% (2023) · Philippines: 24.5% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Malaysia emits 5.4 times as much CO₂ as someone in the Philippines.
Malaysia: 8.2 t (2024) · Philippines: 1.5 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
23% of the Philippines’ electricity is renewable, versus 21% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 20.7% (2025) · Philippines: 23.3% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the Philippines carries 51% more fine dust than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 15.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Philippines: 23.1 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 5.9 times as likely to be murdered in the Philippines as in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · Philippines: 4.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Malaysia are 43% deadlier than in the Philippines.
Malaysia: 13.9 per 100k (2021) · Philippines: 9.7 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The Philippines is on average 0.4 °C warmer than Malaysia.
Malaysia: 26°C (2016–2025 avg) · Philippines: 26.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Malaysia gets 3% more rain than the Philippines.
Malaysia: 3,081 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Philippines: 3,001 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Malaysia bigger than the Philippines?
Malaysia is larger. Malaysia is 10% bigger than the Philippines.
Which has more people, Malaysia or the Philippines?
The Philippines has 3.2 times as many people as Malaysia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Malaysia or the Philippines?
People in Malaysia live 6.9 years longer than in the Philippines. Life expectancy at birth is 76.8 years in Malaysia and 69.9 in the Philippines.
Are people taller in Malaysia or the Philippines?
Men in Malaysia are 4.0 cm taller than in the Philippines (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
