Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
South Korea fits inside Malaysia 3.3 times.
Malaysia: 330,411 km² (2023) · South Korea: 100,450 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Malaysia’s coastline is 94% longer than South Korea’s.
Malaysia: 4,675 km (2026 edition) · South Korea: 2,413 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Malaysia’s highest peak towers 2,145 m above South Korea’s.
Malaysia: 4,095 m (2026 edition) · South Korea: 1,950 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
South Korea has 44% more people than Malaysia.
Malaysia: 36 million (2025) · South Korea: 51.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
South Korea is 4.8 times as densely populated as Malaysia.
Malaysia: 110 per km² (2025) · South Korea: 530 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in South Korea are 6.3 cm taller than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 169.2 cm (2019) · South Korea: 175.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in South Korea are 6.2 cm taller than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 157.1 cm (2019) · South Korea: 163.2 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in South Korea is 14 years older than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 30.1 years (2023) · South Korea: 44.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Malaysia have 0.8 more children on average than in South Korea.
Malaysia: 1.54 children per woman (2024) · South Korea: 0.75 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in South Korea are 65 or older, versus 8.0% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 8% (2025) · South Korea: 20.3% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
South Korea has produced 0.6 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Malaysia 0.0.
Malaysia: 0 (2025) · South Korea: 0.6 (2025)
How many official languages?
Malaysia has 2 official languages, South Korea 1.
Malaysia: 2 (2026) · South Korea: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
South Korea’s economy is 4 times the size of Malaysia’s.
Malaysia: $472 billion (2025) · South Korea: $1.87 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
South Korea produces 52% more per person than Malaysia.
Malaysia: Int$41,498 (2025) · South Korea: Int$63,125 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Malaysia than in South Korea (Gini 7.8 points higher).
Malaysia: 40.7 (2021) · South Korea: 32.9 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.8% in Malaysia, versus 2.7% in South Korea.
Malaysia: 3.8% (2025) · South Korea: 2.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
South Korea spends 2.6% of its GDP on the military, Malaysia 1.0%.
Malaysia: 1% (2024) · South Korea: 2.6% (2024)
How expensive is it?
South Korea’s price level (US = 100) is 1.8× Malaysia’s.
Malaysia: 32% (2025) · South Korea: 57% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Korea spends 7 times as much on health per person as Malaysia.
Malaysia: $450 (2023) · South Korea: $3,137 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in South Korea live 6.8 years longer than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 76.8 years (2024) · South Korea: 83.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Malaysia is 3 times as likely to die before turning one as in South Korea.
Malaysia: 7 per 1,000 (2024) · South Korea: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
South Korea has 11% more doctors per person than Malaysia.
Malaysia: 2.3 per 1,000 (2023) · South Korea: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
24% of adults in Malaysia are obese, versus 7.5% in South Korea.
Malaysia: 23.6% (2024) · South Korea: 7.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
19% of adults in South Korea smoke, versus 17% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 16.9% (2024) · South Korea: 18.6% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in South Korea rate their lives 0.04 points higher than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 6.01 (2025) · South Korea: 6.04 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in South Korea drink 10 times as much alcohol as in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 0.8 litres (2023) · South Korea: 8.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Korea has 22% more meat per person than Malaysia.
Malaysia: 69.1 kg (2023) · South Korea: 84 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
South Korea has 504 kcal more food per person per day than Malaysia.
Malaysia: 2,927 kcal (2023) · South Korea: 3,430 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Malaysia put in 397 more hours a year than in South Korea.
Malaysia: 2,308 hours (2023) · South Korea: 1,910 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Korea went to school 1.6 years longer than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 11.1 years (2023) · South Korea: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
South Korea welcomed 9% more tourists per resident than Malaysia (2019).
Malaysia: 0.29 (2022) · South Korea: 0.32 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
Malaysia and South Korea are practically level.
Malaysia: 98% (2024) · South Korea: 98% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Malaysia and South Korea are practically level.
Malaysia: 100% (2024) · South Korea: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
81% of people in South Korea live in cities, versus 77% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 77% (2025) · South Korea: 81% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Korea has 173 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Malaysia 140.
Malaysia: 140 (2024) · South Korea: 173 (2024)
How much railway is there?
South Korea’s railway network is 2.6 times as long as Malaysia’s.
Malaysia: 1,655 km (2021) · South Korea: 4,309 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from South Korea fly 14% more passengers per resident than those from Malaysia.
Malaysia: 1.3 (2023) · South Korea: 1.48 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 64% of South Korea, but only 58% of Malaysia.
Malaysia: 57.7% (2023) · South Korea: 64.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Korea emits 38% more CO₂ than someone in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 8.2 t (2024) · South Korea: 11.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
21% of Malaysia’s electricity is renewable, versus 10% in South Korea.
Malaysia: 20.7% (2025) · South Korea: 10.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in South Korea carries 37% more fine dust than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 15.3 µg/m³ (2024) · South Korea: 21 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 54% more likely to be murdered in Malaysia than in South Korea.
Malaysia: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · South Korea: 0.5 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Malaysia are 2 times as deadly as in South Korea.
Malaysia: 13.9 per 100k (2021) · South Korea: 6.9 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Malaysia is on average 12.8 °C warmer than South Korea.
Malaysia: 26°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 13.2°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Malaysia gets 2.4 times as much rain as South Korea.
Malaysia: 3,081 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 1,265 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Malaysia bigger than South Korea?
Malaysia is larger. South Korea fits inside Malaysia 3.3 times.
Which has more people, Malaysia or South Korea?
South Korea has 44% more people than Malaysia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Malaysia or South Korea?
People in South Korea live 6.8 years longer than in Malaysia. Life expectancy at birth is 76.8 years in Malaysia and 83.6 in South Korea.
Are people taller in Malaysia or South Korea?
Men in South Korea are 6.3 cm taller than in Malaysia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
