Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Malaysia fits inside Sudan 5.7 times
Malaysia: 330,534 km² (2024) · Sudan: 1,878,000 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Malaysia’s coastline is 5.5 times as long as Sudan’s
Malaysia: 4,675 km (2026 edition) · Sudan: 853 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Malaysia’s highest peak towers 1,053 m above Sudan’s
Malaysia: 4,095 m (2026 edition) · Sudan: 3,042 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 60% of Sudan, versus 25% of Malaysia
Malaysia: 24.8% (2024) · Sudan: 60.3% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Sudan has 44% more people than Malaysia
Malaysia: 36 million (2025) · Sudan: 51.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Malaysia is 4 times as densely populated as Sudan
Malaysia: 110 per km² (2025) · Sudan: 28 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Sudan are 2.9 cm taller than in Malaysia
Malaysia: 169.2 cm (2019) · Sudan: 172.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Sudan are 3.3 cm taller than in Malaysia
Malaysia: 157.1 cm (2019) · Sudan: 160.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Malaysia is 12 years older than in Sudan
Malaysia: 30.1 years (2023) · Sudan: 18.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Sudan have 2.7 more children on average than in Malaysia
Malaysia: 1.54 children per woman (2024) · Sudan: 4.26 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.0% of people in Malaysia are 65 or older, versus 3.4% in Sudan
Malaysia: 8% (2025) · Sudan: 3.4% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Sudan hosts 3.8 times as many refugees per resident as Malaysia
Malaysia: 4.2 per 1,000 (2025) · Sudan: 15.7 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Malaysia and Sudan are practically level
Malaysia: 0 (2026) · Sudan: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Malaysia and Sudan are practically level
Malaysia: 2 (2026) · Sudan: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Malaysia’s economy is 7.8 times the size of Sudan’s
Malaysia: $472 billion (2025) · Sudan: $60.2 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Malaysia produces 19 times as much per person as Sudan
Malaysia: Int$41,498 (2025) · Sudan: Int$2,192 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Malaysia than in Sudan (Gini 6.5 points higher)
Malaysia: 40.7 (2021) · Sudan: 34.2 (2014)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Malaysia: 0% (2021) · Sudan: no data
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 7.5% in Sudan, versus 3.8% in Malaysia
Malaysia: 3.8% (2025) · Sudan: 7.5% (2022)
How much goes to the military?
Malaysia and Sudan are practically level
Malaysia: 1% (2025) · Sudan: 0.9% (2021)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Malaysia’s central government collects 12% of GDP in tax, Sudan’s 7.4%
Malaysia: 12.4% (2024) · Sudan: 7.4% (2016)
How expensive is it?
Sudan’s price level (US = 100) is 1.7× Malaysia’s
Malaysia: 32% (2025) · Sudan: 53% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Malaysia spends 21 times as much on health per person as Sudan
Malaysia: $450 (2023) · Sudan: $21 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Malaysia live 10 years longer than in Sudan
Malaysia: 76.8 years (2024) · Sudan: 66.5 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Sudan is 6.1 times as likely to die before turning one as in Malaysia
Malaysia: 7 per 1,000 (2024) · Sudan: 42.9 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Malaysia has 9.4 times as many doctors per person as Sudan
Malaysia: 2.3 per 1,000 (2023) · Sudan: 0.3 per 1,000 (2017)
How many hospital beds are there?
Malaysia has 3 times as many hospital beds per person as Sudan
Malaysia: 2 per 1,000 (2023) · Sudan: 0.7 per 1,000 (2021)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Malaysia is 35% higher than in Sudan
Malaysia: 5 per 100k (2023) · Sudan: 3.7 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
24% of adults in Malaysia are obese, versus 16% in Sudan
Malaysia: 23.6% (2024) · Sudan: 16.1% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
Malaysia: 16.9% (2024) · Sudan: no data
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Malaysia rate their lives 1.87 points higher than in Sudan
Malaysia: 6.01 (2025) · Sudan: 4.14 (2017)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Sudan drink 73% more alcohol than in Malaysia
Malaysia: 0.8 litres (2023) · Sudan: 1.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Malaysia has 3.8 times as much meat per person as Sudan
Malaysia: 69.1 kg (2023) · Sudan: 18.4 kg (2022)
How much food is there per day?
Malaysia has 413 kcal more food per person per day than Sudan
Malaysia: 2,927 kcal (2023) · Sudan: 2,513 kcal (2022)
How long do people work?
Workers in Sudan put in 351 more hours a year than in Malaysia
Malaysia: 2,308 hours (2023) · Sudan: 2,658 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Malaysia went to school 7.1 years longer than in Sudan
Malaysia: 11.1 years (2023) · Sudan: 4 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Malaysia welcomed 15 times as many tourists per resident as Sudan (2019)
Malaysia: 0.29 (2022) · Sudan: 0.02 (2018)
How many World Heritage sites?
Malaysia has 3 more World Heritage sites than Sudan (6 against 3)
Malaysia: 6 (2026) · Sudan: 3 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Malaysia has won 15 Olympic medals, Sudan 1
Malaysia: 15 (2026 edition) · Sudan: 1 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in Malaysia are online, versus 19% in Sudan
Malaysia: 98% (2024) · Sudan: 19% (2017)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Malaysia is 3.4 times as fast as in Sudan
Malaysia: 269 Mbps (2026) · Sudan: 79 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Malaysia have electricity, versus 66% in Sudan
Malaysia: 100% (2024) · Sudan: 66% (2024)
How many live in cities?
77% of people in Malaysia live in cities, versus 35% in Sudan
Malaysia: 77% (2025) · Sudan: 35% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Malaysia has 140 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Sudan 70
Malaysia: 140 (2024) · Sudan: 70 (2022)
How much railway is there?
Sudan’s railway network is 66% longer than Malaysia’s
Malaysia: 1,655 km (2021) · Sudan: 2,747 km (2020)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Malaysia fly 74 times as many passengers per resident as those from Sudan
Malaysia: 1.3 (2023) · Sudan: 0.02 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 58% of Malaysia, but only 12% of Sudan
Malaysia: 57.7% (2024) · Sudan: 11.9% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Malaysia emits 23 times as much CO₂ as someone in Sudan
Malaysia: 8.2 t (2024) · Sudan: 0.4 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
80% of Sudan’s electricity is renewable, versus 21% in Malaysia
Malaysia: 20.7% (2025) · Sudan: 79.7% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Sudan carries 88% more fine dust than in Malaysia
Malaysia: 15.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Sudan: 28.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Malaysia: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · Sudan: no data
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Sudan are 74% deadlier than in Malaysia
Malaysia: 16.2 per 100k (2023) · Sudan: 28.2 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Sudan is on average 1.7 °C warmer than Malaysia
Malaysia: 26°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sudan: 27.7°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Malaysia gets 18 times as much rain as Sudan
Malaysia: 3,081 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Sudan: 171 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Malaysia bigger than Sudan?
Sudan is larger. Malaysia fits inside Sudan 5.7 times.
Which has more people, Malaysia or Sudan?
Sudan has 44% more people than Malaysia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Malaysia or Sudan?
People in Malaysia live 10 years longer than in Sudan. Life expectancy at birth is 76.8 years in Malaysia and 66.5 in Sudan.
Are people taller in Malaysia or Sudan?
Men in Sudan are 2.9 cm taller than in Malaysia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
