Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Singapore fits inside Malaysia 454 times.
Malaysia: 330,411 km² (2023) · Singapore: 728 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Malaysia’s coastline is 24 times as long as Singapore’s.
Malaysia: 4,675 km (2026 edition) · Singapore: 193 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Malaysia’s highest peak towers 3,929 m above Singapore’s.
Malaysia: 4,095 m (2026 edition) · Singapore: 166 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Malaysia has 5.9 times as many people as Singapore.
Malaysia: 36 million (2025) · Singapore: 6.11 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Singapore is 78 times as densely populated as Malaysia.
Malaysia: 110 per km² (2025) · Singapore: 8,511 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Singapore are 4.3 cm taller than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 169.2 cm (2019) · Singapore: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Singapore are 4.2 cm taller than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 157.1 cm (2019) · Singapore: 161.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Singapore is 5 years older than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 30.1 years (2023) · Singapore: 35.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Malaysia have 0.6 more children on average than in Singapore.
Malaysia: 1.54 children per woman (2024) · Singapore: 0.97 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
14% of people in Singapore are 65 or older, versus 8.0% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 8% (2025) · Singapore: 14.2% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Malaysia and Singapore are practically level.
Malaysia: 0 (2025) · Singapore: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Singapore has 4 official languages, Malaysia 2.
Malaysia: 2 (2026) · Singapore: 4 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Singapore’s economy is 28% larger than Malaysia’s.
Malaysia: $472 billion (2025) · Singapore: $604 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Singapore produces 3.9 times as much per person as Malaysia.
Malaysia: Int$41,498 (2025) · Singapore: Int$163,354 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Malaysia: 40.7 (2021) · Singapore: no data
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.8% in Malaysia, versus 2.8% in Singapore.
Malaysia: 3.8% (2025) · Singapore: 2.8% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Singapore spends 2.8% of its GDP on the military, Malaysia 1.0%.
Malaysia: 1% (2024) · Singapore: 2.8% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Singapore’s price level (US = 100) is 1.9× Malaysia’s.
Malaysia: 32% (2025) · Singapore: 60% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Singapore spends 8.7 times as much on health per person as Malaysia.
Malaysia: $450 (2023) · Singapore: $3,922 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Singapore live 6.5 years longer than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 76.8 years (2024) · Singapore: 83.3 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Malaysia is 3.2 times as likely to die before turning one as in Singapore.
Malaysia: 7 per 1,000 (2024) · Singapore: 2.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Singapore has 21% more doctors per person than Malaysia.
Malaysia: 2.3 per 1,000 (2023) · Singapore: 2.8 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
24% of adults in Malaysia are obese, versus 17% in Singapore.
Malaysia: 23.6% (2024) · Singapore: 16.8% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
17% of adults in Malaysia smoke, versus 14% in Singapore.
Malaysia: 16.9% (2024) · Singapore: 13.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Singapore rate their lives 0.58 points higher than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 6.01 (2025) · Singapore: 6.59 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Singapore drink 2.7 times as much alcohol as in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 0.8 litres (2023) · Singapore: 2.2 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Malaysia: 69.1 kg (2023) · Singapore: no data
How much food is there per day?
Malaysia: 2,927 kcal (2023) · Singapore: no data
How long do people work?
Workers in Malaysia put in 24 more hours a year than in Singapore.
Malaysia: 2,308 hours (2023) · Singapore: 2,283 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Singapore went to school 0.9 years longer than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 11.1 years (2023) · Singapore: 12 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Singapore welcomed 7.4 times as many tourists per resident as Malaysia (2019).
Malaysia: 0.29 (2022) · Singapore: 2.16 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in Malaysia are online, versus 94% in Singapore.
Malaysia: 98% (2024) · Singapore: 94% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Malaysia and Singapore are practically level.
Malaysia: 100% (2024) · Singapore: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
100% of people in Singapore live in cities, versus 77% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 77% (2025) · Singapore: 100% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Singapore has 171 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Malaysia 140.
Malaysia: 140 (2024) · Singapore: 171 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Malaysia: 1,655 km (2021) · Singapore: no data
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Singapore fly 6 times as many passengers per resident as those from Malaysia.
Malaysia: 1.3 (2023) · Singapore: 7.77 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 58% of Malaysia, but only 21% of Singapore.
Malaysia: 57.7% (2023) · Singapore: 20.9% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Singapore emits 13% more CO₂ than someone in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 8.2 t (2024) · Singapore: 9.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
21% of Malaysia’s electricity is renewable, versus 5.5% in Singapore.
Malaysia: 20.7% (2025) · Singapore: 5.5% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Malaysia carries 25% more fine dust than in Singapore.
Malaysia: 15.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Singapore: 12.2 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 11 times as likely to be murdered in Malaysia as in Singapore.
Malaysia: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · Singapore: 0.1 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Malaysia are 7.3 times as deadly as in Singapore.
Malaysia: 13.9 per 100k (2021) · Singapore: 1.9 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Malaysia: 26°C (2016–2025 avg) · Singapore: no data
How much rain falls?
Malaysia: 3,081 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Singapore: no data
Quick answers
Is Malaysia bigger than Singapore?
Malaysia is larger. Singapore fits inside Malaysia 454 times.
Which has more people, Malaysia or Singapore?
Malaysia has 5.9 times as many people as Singapore (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Malaysia or Singapore?
People in Singapore live 6.5 years longer than in Malaysia. Life expectancy at birth is 76.8 years in Malaysia and 83.3 in Singapore.
Are people taller in Malaysia or Singapore?
Men in Singapore are 4.3 cm taller than in Malaysia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
