Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Singapore fits inside Malaysia 449 times
Malaysia: 330,534 km² (2024) · Singapore: 736 km² (2024)
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)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 25% of Malaysia, versus 0.9% of Singapore
Malaysia: 24.8% (2024) · Singapore: 0.9% (2024)
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 77 times as densely populated as Malaysia
Malaysia: 110 per km² (2025) · Singapore: 8,432 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 refugees does it host?
Malaysia: 4.2 per 1,000 (2025) · Singapore: 0 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Malaysia and Singapore are practically level
Malaysia: 0 (2026) · Singapore: 0 (2026)
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 live on less than $3 a day?
Malaysia: 0% (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 3.0% of its GDP on the military, Malaysia 1.0%
Malaysia: 1% (2025) · Singapore: 3% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Singapore’s central government collects 14% of GDP in tax, Malaysia’s 12%
Malaysia: 12.4% (2024) · Singapore: 13.6% (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 many hospital beds are there?
Singapore has 43% more hospital beds per person than Malaysia
Malaysia: 2 per 1,000 (2023) · Singapore: 2.8 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Singapore is 46% higher than in Malaysia
Malaysia: 5 per 100k (2023) · Singapore: 7.3 per 100k (2023)
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)
How many World Heritage sites?
Malaysia has 5 more World Heritage sites than Singapore (6 against 1)
Malaysia: 6 (2026) · Singapore: 1 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Malaysia has won 15 Olympic medals, Singapore 6
Malaysia: 15 (2026 edition) · Singapore: 6 (2026 edition)
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)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Singapore is 2.6 times as fast as in Malaysia
Malaysia: 269 Mbps (2026) · Singapore: 702 Mbps (2026)
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 22% of Singapore
Malaysia: 57.7% (2024) · Singapore: 21.8% (2024)
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 times as deadly as in Singapore
Malaysia: 16.2 per 100k (2023) · Singapore: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
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
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Malaysia bigger than Singapore?
Malaysia is larger. Singapore fits inside Malaysia 449 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).
