Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Malaysia fits inside Saudi Arabia 6.5 times.
Malaysia: 330,411 km² (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 2,149,690 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Malaysia’s coastline is 77% longer than Saudi Arabia’s.
Malaysia: 4,675 km (2026 edition) · Saudi Arabia: 2,640 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Malaysia’s highest peak towers 1,095 m above Saudi Arabia’s.
Malaysia: 4,095 m (2026 edition) · Saudi Arabia: 3,000 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Saudi Arabia has 3% more people than Malaysia.
Malaysia: 36 million (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 37 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Malaysia is 6.4 times as densely populated as Saudi Arabia.
Malaysia: 110 per km² (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 17 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Saudi Arabia are 1.5 cm taller than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 169.2 cm (2019) · Saudi Arabia: 170.7 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Saudi Arabia are 1.8 cm taller than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 157.1 cm (2019) · Saudi Arabia: 158.8 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Malaysia is 0.81 years older than in Saudi Arabia.
Malaysia: 30.1 years (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 29.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Saudi Arabia have 0.8 more children on average than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 1.54 children per woman (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 2.31 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 Saudi Arabia.
Malaysia: 8% (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 3.1% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Malaysia and Saudi Arabia are practically level.
Malaysia: 0 (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Malaysia has 2 official languages, Saudi Arabia 1.
Malaysia: 2 (2026) · Saudi Arabia: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Saudi Arabia’s economy is 2.7 times the size of Malaysia’s.
Malaysia: $472 billion (2025) · Saudi Arabia: $1.28 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Saudi Arabia produces 78% more per person than Malaysia.
Malaysia: Int$41,498 (2025) · Saudi Arabia: Int$73,784 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Malaysia: 40.7 (2021) · Saudi Arabia: no data
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.8% in Malaysia, versus 3.0% in Saudi Arabia.
Malaysia: 3.8% (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 3% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Saudi Arabia spends 7.3% of its GDP on the military, Malaysia 1.0%.
Malaysia: 1% (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 7.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Saudi Arabia’s price level (US = 100) is 1.5× Malaysia’s.
Malaysia: 32% (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 47% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Saudi Arabia spends 4.1 times as much on health per person as Malaysia.
Malaysia: $450 (2023) · Saudi Arabia: $1,825 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Saudi Arabia live 2.2 years longer than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 76.8 years (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 79 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Malaysia is 49% more likely to die before turning one than in Saudi Arabia.
Malaysia: 7 per 1,000 (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 4.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Saudi Arabia has 45% more doctors per person than Malaysia.
Malaysia: 2.3 per 1,000 (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 3.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
39% of adults in Saudi Arabia are obese, versus 24% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 23.6% (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 39.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
17% of adults in Malaysia smoke, versus 15% in Saudi Arabia.
Malaysia: 16.9% (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 14.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Saudi Arabia rate their lives 0.81 points higher than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 6.01 (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Malaysia: 0.8 litres (2023) · Saudi Arabia: no data
How much meat is on the menu?
Malaysia has 19% more meat per person than Saudi Arabia.
Malaysia: 69.1 kg (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 58.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Saudi Arabia has 733 kcal more food per person per day than Malaysia.
Malaysia: 2,927 kcal (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 3,660 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Malaysia put in 183 more hours a year than in Saudi Arabia.
Malaysia: 2,308 hours (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 2,125 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Saudi Arabia went to school 0.52 years longer than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 11.1 years (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Saudi Arabia welcomed 2.9 times as many tourists per resident as Malaysia (2019).
Malaysia: 0.29 (2022) · Saudi Arabia: 0.84 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
100% of people in Saudi Arabia are online, versus 98% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 98% (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 100% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Malaysia and Saudi Arabia are practically level.
Malaysia: 100% (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
85% of people in Saudi Arabia live in cities, versus 77% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 77% (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 85% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Saudi Arabia has 160 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Malaysia 140.
Malaysia: 140 (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 160 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Saudi Arabia’s railway network is 78% longer than Malaysia’s.
Malaysia: 1,655 km (2021) · Saudi Arabia: 2,939 km (2018)
How much do they fly?
Malaysia and Saudi Arabia are nearly identical here.
Malaysia: 1.3 (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 1.3 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 58% of Malaysia, but only 0.5% of Saudi Arabia.
Malaysia: 57.7% (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 0.5% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Saudi Arabia emits 2.5 times as much CO₂ as someone in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 8.2 t (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 20.4 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
21% of Malaysia’s electricity is renewable, versus 2.2% in Saudi Arabia.
Malaysia: 20.7% (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 2.2% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Saudi Arabia carries 3.3 times as much fine dust as in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 15.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 50.4 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 27% more likely to be murdered in Saudi Arabia than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 0.9 per 100k (2019)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Saudi Arabia are 33% deadlier than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 13.9 per 100k (2021) · Saudi Arabia: 18.5 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Saudi Arabia is on average 0.8 °C warmer than Malaysia.
Malaysia: 26°C (2016–2025 avg) · Saudi Arabia: 26.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Malaysia gets 50 times as much rain as Saudi Arabia.
Malaysia: 3,081 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Saudi Arabia: 61 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Malaysia bigger than Saudi Arabia?
Saudi Arabia is larger. Malaysia fits inside Saudi Arabia 6.5 times.
Which has more people, Malaysia or Saudi Arabia?
Saudi Arabia has 3% more people than Malaysia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Malaysia or Saudi Arabia?
People in Saudi Arabia live 2.2 years longer than in Malaysia. Life expectancy at birth is 76.8 years in Malaysia and 79.0 in Saudi Arabia.
Are people taller in Malaysia or Saudi Arabia?
Men in Saudi Arabia are 1.5 cm taller than in Malaysia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
