Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Sri Lanka fits inside Malaysia 5 times.
Malaysia: 330,411 km² (2023) · Sri Lanka: 65,610 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Malaysia’s coastline is 3.5 times as long as Sri Lanka’s.
Malaysia: 4,675 km (2026 edition) · Sri Lanka: 1,340 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Malaysia’s highest peak towers 1,571 m above Sri Lanka’s.
Malaysia: 4,095 m (2026 edition) · Sri Lanka: 2,524 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Malaysia has 65% more people than Sri Lanka.
Malaysia: 36 million (2025) · Sri Lanka: 21.8 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Sri Lanka is 3.2 times as densely populated as Malaysia.
Malaysia: 110 per km² (2025) · Sri Lanka: 352 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Malaysia are 1.1 cm taller than in Sri Lanka.
Malaysia: 169.2 cm (2019) · Sri Lanka: 168.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Malaysia are 1.2 cm taller than in Sri Lanka.
Malaysia: 157.1 cm (2019) · Sri Lanka: 155.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Sri Lanka is 2.8 years older than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 30.1 years (2023) · Sri Lanka: 32.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Sri Lanka have 0.4 more children on average than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 1.54 children per woman (2024) · Sri Lanka: 1.95 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
12% of people in Sri Lanka are 65 or older, versus 8.0% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 8% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 12.5% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Malaysia and Sri Lanka are practically level.
Malaysia: 0 (2025) · Sri Lanka: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Malaysia and Sri Lanka are practically level.
Malaysia: 2 (2026) · Sri Lanka: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Malaysia’s economy is 4.3 times the size of Sri Lanka’s.
Malaysia: $472 billion (2025) · Sri Lanka: $109 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Malaysia produces 2.4 times as much per person as Sri Lanka.
Malaysia: Int$41,498 (2025) · Sri Lanka: Int$17,065 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Malaysia than in Sri Lanka (Gini 3 points higher).
Malaysia: 40.7 (2021) · Sri Lanka: 37.7 (2019)
How many people are looking for work?
Sri Lanka and Malaysia are practically level.
Malaysia: 3.8% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Sri Lanka and Malaysia are practically level.
Malaysia: 1% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 1.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Malaysia’s price level (US = 100) is 1.1× Sri Lanka’s.
Malaysia: 32% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 29% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Malaysia spends 3.4 times as much on health per person as Sri Lanka.
Malaysia: $450 (2023) · Sri Lanka: $134 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Sri Lanka live 0.85 years longer than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 76.8 years (2024) · Sri Lanka: 77.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Malaysia is 35% more likely to die before turning one than in Sri Lanka.
Malaysia: 7 per 1,000 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 5.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Malaysia has 2.1 times as many doctors per person as Sri Lanka.
Malaysia: 2.3 per 1,000 (2023) · Sri Lanka: 1.1 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
24% of adults in Malaysia are obese, versus 11% in Sri Lanka.
Malaysia: 23.6% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 11.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in Sri Lanka smoke, versus 17% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 16.9% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 20.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Malaysia rate their lives 1.99 points higher than in Sri Lanka.
Malaysia: 6.01 (2025) · Sri Lanka: 4.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Sri Lanka drink 3.1 times as much alcohol as in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 0.8 litres (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2.5 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Malaysia has 6 times as much meat per person as Sri Lanka.
Malaysia: 69.1 kg (2023) · Sri Lanka: 11.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Malaysia has 251 kcal more food per person per day than Sri Lanka.
Malaysia: 2,927 kcal (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2,675 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Malaysia put in 254 more hours a year than in Sri Lanka.
Malaysia: 2,308 hours (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2,053 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Malaysia went to school 0.32 years longer than in Sri Lanka.
Malaysia: 11.1 years (2023) · Sri Lanka: 10.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Malaysia welcomed 8.9 times as many tourists per resident as Sri Lanka (2019).
Malaysia: 0.29 (2022) · Sri Lanka: 0.03 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in Malaysia are online, versus 55% in Sri Lanka.
Malaysia: 98% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 55% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Malaysia and Sri Lanka are practically level.
Malaysia: 100% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
77% of people in Malaysia live in cities, versus 20% in Sri Lanka.
Malaysia: 77% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 20% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Malaysia has 140 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Sri Lanka 133.
Malaysia: 140 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 133 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Malaysia’s railway network is 6% longer than Sri Lanka’s.
Malaysia: 1,655 km (2021) · Sri Lanka: 1,562 km (2019)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Malaysia fly 7.3 times as many passengers per resident as those from Sri Lanka.
Malaysia: 1.3 (2023) · Sri Lanka: 0.18 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 58% of Malaysia, but only 34% of Sri Lanka.
Malaysia: 57.7% (2023) · Sri Lanka: 34% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Malaysia emits 9.1 times as much CO₂ as someone in Sri Lanka.
Malaysia: 8.2 t (2024) · Sri Lanka: 0.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
62% of Sri Lanka’s electricity is renewable, versus 21% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 20.7% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 61.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Sri Lanka carries 35% more fine dust than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 15.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Sri Lanka: 20.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 4.5 times as likely to be murdered in Sri Lanka as in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · Sri Lanka: 3.3 per 100k (2019)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Malaysia are 21% deadlier than in Sri Lanka.
Malaysia: 13.9 per 100k (2021) · Sri Lanka: 11.5 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Sri Lanka is on average 0.8 °C warmer than Malaysia.
Malaysia: 26°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sri Lanka: 26.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Malaysia gets 68% more rain than Sri Lanka.
Malaysia: 3,081 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Sri Lanka: 1,839 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Malaysia bigger than Sri Lanka?
Malaysia is larger. Sri Lanka fits inside Malaysia 5 times.
Which has more people, Malaysia or Sri Lanka?
Malaysia has 65% more people than Sri Lanka (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Malaysia or Sri Lanka?
People in Sri Lanka live 0.85 years longer than in Malaysia. Life expectancy at birth is 76.8 years in Malaysia and 77.7 in Sri Lanka.
Are people taller in Malaysia or Sri Lanka?
Men in Malaysia are 1.1 cm taller than in Sri Lanka (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
