Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Malaysia fits inside South Africa 3.7 times
Malaysia: 330,534 km² (2024) · South Africa: 1,219,600 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Malaysia’s coastline is 67% longer than South Africa’s
Malaysia: 4,675 km (2026 edition) · South Africa: 2,798 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Malaysia’s highest peak towers 645 m above South Africa’s
Malaysia: 4,095 m (2026 edition) · South Africa: 3,450 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 79% of South Africa, versus 25% of Malaysia
Malaysia: 24.8% (2024) · South Africa: 79.4% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
South Africa has 80% more people than Malaysia
Malaysia: 36 million (2025) · South Africa: 64.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Malaysia is 2.1 times as densely populated as South Africa
Malaysia: 110 per km² (2025) · South Africa: 53 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
South Africa and Malaysia are practically level
Malaysia: 169.2 cm (2019) · South Africa: 169.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in South Africa are 1.5 cm taller than in Malaysia
Malaysia: 157.1 cm (2019) · South Africa: 158.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Malaysia is 1.8 years older than in South Africa
Malaysia: 30.1 years (2023) · South Africa: 28.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in South Africa have 0.7 more children on average than in Malaysia
Malaysia: 1.54 children per woman (2024) · South Africa: 2.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.0% of people in Malaysia are 65 or older, versus 6.9% in South Africa
Malaysia: 8% (2025) · South Africa: 6.9% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Malaysia hosts 4.9 times as many refugees per resident as South Africa
Malaysia: 4.2 per 1,000 (2025) · South Africa: 0.9 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
South Africa has produced 1.5 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Malaysia none
Malaysia: 0 (2026) · South Africa: 1.5 (2026)
How many official languages?
South Africa has 11 official languages, Malaysia 2
Malaysia: 2 (2026) · South Africa: 11 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Malaysia’s economy is 11% larger than South Africa’s
Malaysia: $472 billion (2025) · South Africa: $427 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Malaysia produces 2.6 times as much per person as South Africa
Malaysia: Int$41,498 (2025) · South Africa: Int$15,906 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in South Africa than in Malaysia (Gini 13.4 points higher)
Malaysia: 40.7 (2021) · South Africa: 54.1 (2022)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
17% of people in South Africa live on less than $3 a day, versus 0% in Malaysia
Malaysia: 0% (2021) · South Africa: 17.4% (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 32% in South Africa, versus 3.8% in Malaysia
Malaysia: 3.8% (2025) · South Africa: 32.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Malaysia and South Africa are practically level
Malaysia: 1% (2025) · South Africa: 0.7% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
South Africa’s central government collects 26% of GDP in tax, Malaysia’s 12%
Malaysia: 12.4% (2024) · South Africa: 25.9% (2024)
How expensive is it?
South Africa’s price level (US = 100) is 1.3× Malaysia’s
Malaysia: 32% (2025) · South Africa: 41% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Africa spends 19% more on health per person than Malaysia
Malaysia: $450 (2023) · South Africa: $537 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Malaysia live 11 years longer than in South Africa
Malaysia: 76.8 years (2024) · South Africa: 66.3 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in South Africa is 3.5 times as likely to die before turning one as in Malaysia
Malaysia: 7 per 1,000 (2024) · South Africa: 24.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Malaysia has 2.9 times as many doctors per person as South Africa
Malaysia: 2.3 per 1,000 (2023) · South Africa: 0.8 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Malaysia: 2 per 1,000 (2023) · South Africa: no data
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in South Africa is 3.2 times that in Malaysia
Malaysia: 5 per 100k (2023) · South Africa: 16.2 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
31% of adults in South Africa are obese, versus 24% in Malaysia
Malaysia: 23.6% (2024) · South Africa: 31.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
24% of adults in South Africa smoke, versus 17% in Malaysia
Malaysia: 16.9% (2024) · South Africa: 23.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Malaysia rate their lives 1.00 points higher than in South Africa
Malaysia: 6.01 (2025) · South Africa: 5.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in South Africa drink 11 times as much alcohol as in Malaysia
Malaysia: 0.8 litres (2023) · South Africa: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Malaysia has 19% more meat per person than South Africa
Malaysia: 69.1 kg (2023) · South Africa: 58.3 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Malaysia has 233 kcal more food per person per day than South Africa
Malaysia: 2,927 kcal (2023) · South Africa: 2,694 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Malaysia put in 126 more hours a year than in South Africa
Malaysia: 2,308 hours (2023) · South Africa: 2,181 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Africa went to school 0.52 years longer than in Malaysia
Malaysia: 11.1 years (2023) · South Africa: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Malaysia welcomed 2.1 times as many tourists per resident as South Africa (2019)
Malaysia: 0.29 (2022) · South Africa: 0.14 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
South Africa has 6 more World Heritage sites than Malaysia (12 against 6)
Malaysia: 6 (2026) · South Africa: 12 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
South Africa has won 95 Olympic medals, Malaysia 15
Malaysia: 15 (2026 edition) · South Africa: 95 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in Malaysia are online, versus 78% in South Africa
Malaysia: 98% (2024) · South Africa: 78% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Malaysia is 3.4 times as fast as in South Africa
Malaysia: 269 Mbps (2026) · South Africa: 78 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Malaysia have electricity, versus 90% in South Africa
Malaysia: 100% (2024) · South Africa: 90.2% (2024)
How many live in cities?
77% of people in Malaysia live in cities, versus 64% in South Africa
Malaysia: 77% (2025) · South Africa: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Africa has 179 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Malaysia 140
Malaysia: 140 (2024) · South Africa: 179 (2024)
How much railway is there?
South Africa’s railway network is 13 times as long as Malaysia’s
Malaysia: 1,655 km (2021) · South Africa: 20,953 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Malaysia fly 5.4 times as many passengers per resident as those from South Africa
Malaysia: 1.3 (2023) · South Africa: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 58% of Malaysia, but only 19% of South Africa
Malaysia: 57.7% (2024) · South Africa: 18.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Malaysia emits 19% more CO₂ than someone in South Africa
Malaysia: 8.2 t (2024) · South Africa: 6.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
21% of Malaysia’s electricity is renewable, versus 14% in South Africa
Malaysia: 20.7% (2025) · South Africa: 13.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in South Africa carries 59% more fine dust than in Malaysia
Malaysia: 15.3 µg/m³ (2024) · South Africa: 24.4 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 60 times as likely to be murdered in South Africa as in Malaysia
Malaysia: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · South Africa: 43.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in South Africa are 2 times as deadly as in Malaysia
Malaysia: 16.2 per 100k (2023) · South Africa: 33.1 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Malaysia is on average 7.6 °C warmer than South Africa
Malaysia: 26°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 18.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Malaysia gets 6 times as much rain as South Africa
Malaysia: 3,081 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 511 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Malaysia bigger than South Africa?
South Africa is larger. Malaysia fits inside South Africa 3.7 times.
Which has more people, Malaysia or South Africa?
South Africa has 80% more people than Malaysia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Malaysia or South Africa?
People in Malaysia live 11 years longer than in South Africa. Life expectancy at birth is 76.8 years in Malaysia and 66.3 in South Africa.
Are people taller in Malaysia or South Africa?
South Africa and Malaysia are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
