Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Malaysia is 5% bigger than Poland.
Malaysia: 330,411 km² (2023) · Poland: 313,930 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Malaysia’s coastline is 11 times as long as Poland’s.
Malaysia: 4,675 km (2026 edition) · Poland: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Malaysia’s highest peak towers 1,596 m above Poland’s.
Malaysia: 4,095 m (2026 edition) · Poland: 2,499 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Poland has 1% more people than Malaysia.
Malaysia: 36 million (2025) · Poland: 36.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Poland is 9% more densely populated than Malaysia.
Malaysia: 110 per km² (2025) · Poland: 119 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Poland are 11.5 cm taller than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 169.2 cm (2019) · Poland: 180.7 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Poland are 8.7 cm taller than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 157.1 cm (2019) · Poland: 165.8 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Poland is 11 years older than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 30.1 years (2023) · Poland: 41.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Malaysia have 0.4 more children on average than in Poland.
Malaysia: 1.54 children per woman (2024) · Poland: 1.14 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in Poland are 65 or older, versus 8.0% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 8% (2025) · Poland: 20.8% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Poland has produced 7.7 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Malaysia 0.0.
Malaysia: 0 (2025) · Poland: 7.7 (2025)
How many official languages?
Malaysia has 2 official languages, Poland 1.
Malaysia: 2 (2026) · Poland: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Poland’s economy is 2.2 times the size of Malaysia’s.
Malaysia: $472 billion (2025) · Poland: $1.04 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Poland produces 31% more per person than Malaysia.
Malaysia: Int$41,498 (2025) · Poland: Int$54,262 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Malaysia than in Poland (Gini 12.2 points higher).
Malaysia: 40.7 (2021) · Poland: 28.5 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.8% in Malaysia, versus 3.0% in Poland.
Malaysia: 3.8% (2025) · Poland: 3% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Poland spends 4.2% of its GDP on the military, Malaysia 1.0%.
Malaysia: 1% (2024) · Poland: 4.2% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Poland’s price level (US = 100) is 1.7× Malaysia’s.
Malaysia: 32% (2025) · Poland: 52% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Poland spends 4.5 times as much on health per person as Malaysia.
Malaysia: $450 (2023) · Poland: $2,014 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Poland live 1.6 years longer than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 76.8 years (2024) · Poland: 78.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Malaysia is 94% more likely to die before turning one than in Poland.
Malaysia: 7 per 1,000 (2024) · Poland: 3.6 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Poland has 72% more doctors per person than Malaysia.
Malaysia: 2.3 per 1,000 (2023) · Poland: 4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
26% of adults in Poland are obese, versus 24% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 23.6% (2024) · Poland: 25.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
22% of adults in Poland smoke, versus 17% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 16.9% (2024) · Poland: 21.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Poland rate their lives 0.76 points higher than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 6.01 (2025) · Poland: 6.77 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Poland drink 14 times as much alcohol as in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 0.8 litres (2023) · Poland: 11.5 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Poland has 21% more meat per person than Malaysia.
Malaysia: 69.1 kg (2023) · Poland: 83.3 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Poland has 804 kcal more food per person per day than Malaysia.
Malaysia: 2,927 kcal (2023) · Poland: 3,730 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Malaysia put in 501 more hours a year than in Poland.
Malaysia: 2,308 hours (2023) · Poland: 1,807 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Poland went to school 2.1 years longer than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 11.1 years (2023) · Poland: 13.2 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Poland welcomed 86% more tourists per resident than Malaysia (2019).
Malaysia: 0.29 (2022) · Poland: 0.54 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in Malaysia are online, versus 89% in Poland.
Malaysia: 98% (2024) · Poland: 89% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Malaysia and Poland are practically level.
Malaysia: 100% (2024) · Poland: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
77% of people in Malaysia live in cities, versus 60% in Poland.
Malaysia: 77% (2025) · Poland: 60% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Malaysia has 140 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Poland 138.
Malaysia: 140 (2024) · Poland: 138 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Poland’s railway network is 11 times as long as Malaysia’s.
Malaysia: 1,655 km (2021) · Poland: 18,620 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Malaysia fly 5.4 times as many passengers per resident as those from Poland.
Malaysia: 1.3 (2023) · Poland: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 58% of Malaysia, but only 31% of Poland.
Malaysia: 57.7% (2023) · Poland: 31.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Malaysia emits 15% more CO₂ than someone in Poland.
Malaysia: 8.2 t (2024) · Poland: 7.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
32% of Poland’s electricity is renewable, versus 21% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 20.7% (2025) · Poland: 31.5% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Poland carries 2% more fine dust than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 15.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Poland: 15.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 9% more likely to be murdered in Poland than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · Poland: 0.8 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Malaysia are 2.1 times as deadly as in Poland.
Malaysia: 13.9 per 100k (2021) · Poland: 6.5 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Malaysia is on average 16.3 °C warmer than Poland.
Malaysia: 26°C (2016–2025 avg) · Poland: 9.7°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Malaysia gets 4 times as much rain as Poland.
Malaysia: 3,081 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Poland: 763 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Malaysia bigger than Poland?
Malaysia is larger. Malaysia is 5% bigger than Poland.
Which has more people, Malaysia or Poland?
Poland has 1% more people than Malaysia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Malaysia or Poland?
People in Poland live 1.6 years longer than in Malaysia. Life expectancy at birth is 76.8 years in Malaysia and 78.4 in Poland.
Are people taller in Malaysia or Poland?
Men in Poland are 11.5 cm taller than in Malaysia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
