Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Spain is 53% bigger than Malaysia.
Malaysia: 330,411 km² (2023) · Spain: 505,976 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Spain’s coastline is 6% longer than Malaysia’s.
Malaysia: 4,675 km (2026 edition) · Spain: 4,964 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Malaysia’s highest peak towers 377 m above Spain’s.
Malaysia: 4,095 m (2026 edition) · Spain: 3,718 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Spain has 37% more people than Malaysia.
Malaysia: 36 million (2025) · Spain: 49.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Malaysia is 11% more densely populated than Spain.
Malaysia: 110 per km² (2025) · Spain: 99 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Spain are 6.9 cm taller than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 169.2 cm (2019) · Spain: 176.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Spain are 5.0 cm taller than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 157.1 cm (2019) · Spain: 162 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Spain is 15 years older than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 30.1 years (2023) · Spain: 44.9 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Malaysia have 0.4 more children on average than in Spain.
Malaysia: 1.54 children per woman (2024) · Spain: 1.1 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
22% of people in Spain are 65 or older, versus 8.0% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 8% (2025) · Spain: 21.6% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Spain has produced 1.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Malaysia 0.0.
Malaysia: 0 (2025) · Spain: 1.4 (2025)
How many official languages?
Malaysia has 2 official languages, Spain 1.
Malaysia: 2 (2026) · Spain: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Spain’s economy is 4 times the size of Malaysia’s.
Malaysia: $472 billion (2025) · Spain: $1.91 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Spain produces 44% more per person than Malaysia.
Malaysia: Int$41,498 (2025) · Spain: Int$59,868 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Malaysia than in Spain (Gini 7.3 points higher).
Malaysia: 40.7 (2021) · Spain: 33.4 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 10% in Spain, versus 3.8% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 3.8% (2025) · Spain: 10.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Spain and Malaysia are practically level.
Malaysia: 1% (2024) · Spain: 1.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Spain’s price level (US = 100) is 2× Malaysia’s.
Malaysia: 32% (2025) · Spain: 65% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Spain spends 6.9 times as much on health per person as Malaysia.
Malaysia: $450 (2023) · Spain: $3,107 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Spain live 7.1 years longer than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 76.8 years (2024) · Spain: 83.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Malaysia is 2.7 times as likely to die before turning one as in Spain.
Malaysia: 7 per 1,000 (2024) · Spain: 2.6 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Spain has 83% more doctors per person than Malaysia.
Malaysia: 2.3 per 1,000 (2023) · Spain: 4.3 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
24% of adults in Malaysia are obese, versus 19% in Spain.
Malaysia: 23.6% (2024) · Spain: 18.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
28% of adults in Spain smoke, versus 17% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 16.9% (2024) · Spain: 27.6% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Spain rate their lives 0.54 points higher than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 6.01 (2025) · Spain: 6.54 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Spain drink 15 times as much alcohol as in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 0.8 litres (2023) · Spain: 12.1 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Spain has 46% more meat per person than Malaysia.
Malaysia: 69.1 kg (2023) · Spain: 100.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Spain has 451 kcal more food per person per day than Malaysia.
Malaysia: 2,927 kcal (2023) · Spain: 3,377 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Malaysia put in 670 more hours a year than in Spain.
Malaysia: 2,308 hours (2023) · Spain: 1,638 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Malaysia went to school 0.33 years longer than in Spain.
Malaysia: 11.1 years (2023) · Spain: 10.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Spain welcomed 6.6 times as many tourists per resident as Malaysia (2019).
Malaysia: 0.29 (2022) · Spain: 1.92 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in Malaysia are online, versus 96% in Spain.
Malaysia: 98% (2024) · Spain: 96% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Malaysia and Spain are practically level.
Malaysia: 100% (2024) · Spain: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
81% of people in Spain live in cities, versus 77% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 77% (2025) · Spain: 81% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Malaysia has 140 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Spain 130.
Malaysia: 140 (2024) · Spain: 130 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Spain’s railway network is 9.6 times as long as Malaysia’s.
Malaysia: 1,655 km (2021) · Spain: 15,963 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Spain fly 47% more passengers per resident than those from Malaysia.
Malaysia: 1.3 (2023) · Spain: 1.91 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 58% of Malaysia, but only 37% of Spain.
Malaysia: 57.7% (2023) · Spain: 37.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Malaysia emits 77% more CO₂ than someone in Spain.
Malaysia: 8.2 t (2024) · Spain: 4.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
56% of Spain’s electricity is renewable, versus 21% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 20.7% (2025) · Spain: 55.9% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Malaysia carries 53% more fine dust than in Spain.
Malaysia: 15.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Spain: 10 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 6% more likely to be murdered in Malaysia than in Spain.
Malaysia: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · Spain: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Malaysia are 4 times as deadly as in Spain.
Malaysia: 13.9 per 100k (2021) · Spain: 3.5 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Malaysia is on average 11.2 °C warmer than Spain.
Malaysia: 26°C (2016–2025 avg) · Spain: 14.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Malaysia gets 4.6 times as much rain as Spain.
Malaysia: 3,081 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Spain: 665 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Malaysia bigger than Spain?
Spain is larger. Spain is 53% bigger than Malaysia.
Which has more people, Malaysia or Spain?
Spain has 37% more people than Malaysia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Malaysia or Spain?
People in Spain live 7.1 years longer than in Malaysia. Life expectancy at birth is 76.8 years in Malaysia and 83.9 in Spain.
Are people taller in Malaysia or Spain?
Men in Spain are 6.9 cm taller than in Malaysia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
