Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Portugal fits inside Malaysia 3.6 times.
Malaysia: 330,411 km² (2023) · Portugal: 92,230 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Malaysia’s coastline is 2.6 times as long as Portugal’s.
Malaysia: 4,675 km (2026 edition) · Portugal: 1,793 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Malaysia’s highest peak towers 1,744 m above Portugal’s.
Malaysia: 4,095 m (2026 edition) · Portugal: 2,351 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Malaysia has 3.3 times as many people as Portugal.
Malaysia: 36 million (2025) · Portugal: 10.8 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Portugal is 8% more densely populated than Malaysia.
Malaysia: 110 per km² (2025) · Portugal: 118 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Portugal are 5.2 cm taller than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 169.2 cm (2019) · Portugal: 174.4 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Portugal are 4.2 cm taller than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 157.1 cm (2019) · Portugal: 161.2 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Portugal is 16 years older than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 30.1 years (2023) · Portugal: 46.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Malaysia have 0.1 more children on average than in Portugal.
Malaysia: 1.54 children per woman (2024) · Portugal: 1.41 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
25% of people in Portugal are 65 or older, versus 8.0% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 8% (2025) · Portugal: 24.9% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Portugal has produced 1.9 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Malaysia 0.0.
Malaysia: 0 (2025) · Portugal: 1.9 (2025)
How many official languages?
Malaysia has 2 official languages, Portugal 1.
Malaysia: 2 (2026) · Portugal: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Malaysia’s economy is 36% larger than Portugal’s.
Malaysia: $472 billion (2025) · Portugal: $347 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Portugal produces 28% more per person than Malaysia.
Malaysia: Int$41,498 (2025) · Portugal: Int$53,146 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Malaysia than in Portugal (Gini 6.8 points higher).
Malaysia: 40.7 (2021) · Portugal: 33.9 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 6.2% in Portugal, versus 3.8% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 3.8% (2025) · Portugal: 6.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Portugal spends 1.5% of its GDP on the military, Malaysia 1.0%.
Malaysia: 1% (2024) · Portugal: 1.5% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Portugal’s price level (US = 100) is 1.9× Malaysia’s.
Malaysia: 32% (2025) · Portugal: 60% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Portugal spends 6.6 times as much on health per person as Malaysia.
Malaysia: $450 (2023) · Portugal: $2,971 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Portugal live 5.6 years longer than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 76.8 years (2024) · Portugal: 82.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Malaysia is 2.6 times as likely to die before turning one as in Portugal.
Malaysia: 7 per 1,000 (2024) · Portugal: 2.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Portugal has 2.5 times as many doctors per person as Malaysia.
Malaysia: 2.3 per 1,000 (2023) · Portugal: 5.9 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
24% of adults in Malaysia are obese, versus 23% in Portugal.
Malaysia: 23.6% (2024) · Portugal: 23% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
29% of adults in Portugal smoke, versus 17% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 16.9% (2024) · Portugal: 28.6% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
Portugal and Malaysia are practically level.
Malaysia: 6.01 (2025) · Portugal: 6.03 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Portugal drink 17 times as much alcohol as in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 0.8 litres (2023) · Portugal: 13.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Portugal has 44% more meat per person than Malaysia.
Malaysia: 69.1 kg (2023) · Portugal: 99.3 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Portugal has 626 kcal more food per person per day than Malaysia.
Malaysia: 2,927 kcal (2023) · Portugal: 3,553 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Malaysia put in 573 more hours a year than in Portugal.
Malaysia: 2,308 hours (2023) · Portugal: 1,735 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Malaysia went to school 1.4 years longer than in Portugal.
Malaysia: 11.1 years (2023) · Portugal: 9.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Portugal welcomed 9.3 times as many tourists per resident as Malaysia (2019).
Malaysia: 0.29 (2022) · Portugal: 2.71 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in Malaysia are online, versus 88% in Portugal.
Malaysia: 98% (2024) · Portugal: 88% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Malaysia and Portugal are practically level.
Malaysia: 100% (2024) · Portugal: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
77% of people in Malaysia live in cities, versus 61% in Portugal.
Malaysia: 77% (2025) · Portugal: 61% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Malaysia has 140 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Portugal 124.
Malaysia: 140 (2024) · Portugal: 124 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Portugal’s railway network is 53% longer than Malaysia’s.
Malaysia: 1,655 km (2021) · Portugal: 2,527 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Portugal fly 30% more passengers per resident than those from Malaysia.
Malaysia: 1.3 (2023) · Portugal: 1.69 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 58% of Malaysia, but only 36% of Portugal.
Malaysia: 57.7% (2023) · Portugal: 36.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Malaysia emits 2.4 times as much CO₂ as someone in Portugal.
Malaysia: 8.2 t (2024) · Portugal: 3.4 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
81% of Portugal’s electricity is renewable, versus 21% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 20.7% (2025) · Portugal: 81% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Malaysia carries 46% more fine dust than in Portugal.
Malaysia: 15.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Portugal: 10.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2% more likely to be murdered in Malaysia than in Portugal.
Malaysia: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · Portugal: 0.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Malaysia are 93% deadlier than in Portugal.
Malaysia: 13.9 per 100k (2021) · Portugal: 7.2 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Malaysia is on average 10.1 °C warmer than Portugal.
Malaysia: 26°C (2016–2025 avg) · Portugal: 15.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Malaysia gets 4 times as much rain as Portugal.
Malaysia: 3,081 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Portugal: 777 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Malaysia bigger than Portugal?
Malaysia is larger. Portugal fits inside Malaysia 3.6 times.
Which has more people, Malaysia or Portugal?
Malaysia has 3.3 times as many people as Portugal (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Malaysia or Portugal?
People in Portugal live 5.6 years longer than in Malaysia. Life expectancy at birth is 76.8 years in Malaysia and 82.4 in Portugal.
Are people taller in Malaysia or Portugal?
Men in Portugal are 5.2 cm taller than in Malaysia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
