Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Malaysia is 39% bigger than Romania.
Malaysia: 330,411 km² (2023) · Romania: 238,400 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Malaysia’s coastline is 21 times as long as Romania’s.
Malaysia: 4,675 km (2026 edition) · Romania: 225 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Malaysia’s highest peak towers 1,551 m above Romania’s.
Malaysia: 4,095 m (2026 edition) · Romania: 2,544 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Malaysia has 89% more people than Romania.
Malaysia: 36 million (2025) · Romania: 19 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Malaysia is 32% more densely populated than Romania.
Malaysia: 110 per km² (2025) · Romania: 83 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Romania are 8.6 cm taller than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 169.2 cm (2019) · Romania: 177.8 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Romania are 7.7 cm taller than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 157.1 cm (2019) · Romania: 164.7 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Romania is 13 years older than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 30.1 years (2023) · Romania: 42.6 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Malaysia have 0.2 more children on average than in Romania.
Malaysia: 1.54 children per woman (2024) · Romania: 1.39 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in Romania are 65 or older, versus 8.0% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 8% (2025) · Romania: 20.1% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Romania has produced 2.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Malaysia 0.0.
Malaysia: 0 (2025) · Romania: 2.1 (2025)
How many official languages?
Malaysia has 2 official languages, Romania 1.
Malaysia: 2 (2026) · Romania: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Malaysia’s economy is 10% larger than Romania’s.
Malaysia: $472 billion (2025) · Romania: $429 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Romania produces 23% more per person than Malaysia.
Malaysia: Int$41,498 (2025) · Romania: Int$50,895 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Malaysia than in Romania (Gini 10.9 points higher).
Malaysia: 40.7 (2021) · Romania: 29.8 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 6.0% in Romania, versus 3.8% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 3.8% (2025) · Romania: 6% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Romania spends 2.3% of its GDP on the military, Malaysia 1.0%.
Malaysia: 1% (2024) · Romania: 2.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Romania’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× Malaysia’s.
Malaysia: 32% (2025) · Romania: 44% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Romania spends 2.3 times as much on health per person as Malaysia.
Malaysia: $450 (2023) · Romania: $1,051 (2023)
How long do people live?
Malaysia and Romania are practically level.
Malaysia: 76.8 years (2024) · Romania: 76.5 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Malaysia is 17% more likely to die before turning one than in Romania.
Malaysia: 7 per 1,000 (2024) · Romania: 6 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Romania has 55% more doctors per person than Malaysia.
Malaysia: 2.3 per 1,000 (2023) · Romania: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
38% of adults in Romania are obese, versus 24% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 23.6% (2024) · Romania: 37.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
30% of adults in Romania smoke, versus 17% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 16.9% (2024) · Romania: 29.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Romania rate their lives 0.62 points higher than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 6.01 (2025) · Romania: 6.63 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Romania drink 21 times as much alcohol as in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 0.8 litres (2023) · Romania: 17.1 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Romania has 5% more meat per person than Malaysia.
Malaysia: 69.1 kg (2023) · Romania: 72.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Romania has 722 kcal more food per person per day than Malaysia.
Malaysia: 2,927 kcal (2023) · Romania: 3,649 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Malaysia put in 482 more hours a year than in Romania.
Malaysia: 2,308 hours (2023) · Romania: 1,826 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Romania went to school 0.46 years longer than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 11.1 years (2023) · Romania: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Romania welcomed 2.4 times as many tourists per resident as Malaysia (2019).
Malaysia: 0.29 (2022) · Romania: 0.7 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in Malaysia are online, versus 91% in Romania.
Malaysia: 98% (2024) · Romania: 91% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Malaysia and Romania are practically level.
Malaysia: 100% (2024) · Romania: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
77% of people in Malaysia live in cities, versus 52% in Romania.
Malaysia: 77% (2025) · Romania: 52% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Malaysia has 140 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Romania 120.
Malaysia: 140 (2024) · Romania: 120 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Romania’s railway network is 6.5 times as long as Malaysia’s.
Malaysia: 1,655 km (2021) · Romania: 10,769 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Malaysia fly 8.8 times as many passengers per resident as those from Romania.
Malaysia: 1.3 (2023) · Romania: 0.15 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 58% of Malaysia, but only 30% of Romania.
Malaysia: 57.7% (2023) · Romania: 30.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Malaysia emits 2.3 times as much CO₂ as someone in Romania.
Malaysia: 8.2 t (2024) · Romania: 3.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
47% of Romania’s electricity is renewable, versus 21% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 20.7% (2025) · Romania: 47% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Malaysia carries 7% more fine dust than in Romania.
Malaysia: 15.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Romania: 14.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 53% more likely to be murdered in Romania than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · Romania: 1.1 per 100k (2024)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Malaysia are 45% deadlier than in Romania.
Malaysia: 13.9 per 100k (2021) · Romania: 9.6 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Malaysia is on average 15.0 °C warmer than Romania.
Malaysia: 26°C (2016–2025 avg) · Romania: 11°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Malaysia gets 4.1 times as much rain as Romania.
Malaysia: 3,081 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Romania: 758 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Malaysia bigger than Romania?
Malaysia is larger. Malaysia is 39% bigger than Romania.
Which has more people, Malaysia or Romania?
Malaysia has 89% more people than Romania (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Malaysia or Romania?
Malaysia and Romania are practically level. Life expectancy at birth is 76.8 years in Malaysia and 76.5 in Romania.
Are people taller in Malaysia or Romania?
Men in Romania are 8.6 cm taller than in Malaysia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
