Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Sweden is 60% bigger than Malaysia.
Malaysia: 330,411 km² (2023) · Sweden: 528,660 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Malaysia’s coastline is 45% longer than Sweden’s.
Malaysia: 4,675 km (2026 edition) · Sweden: 3,218 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Malaysia’s highest peak towers 1,995 m above Sweden’s.
Malaysia: 4,095 m (2026 edition) · Sweden: 2,100 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Malaysia has 3.4 times as many people as Sweden.
Malaysia: 36 million (2025) · Sweden: 10.6 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Malaysia is 4.2 times as densely populated as Sweden.
Malaysia: 110 per km² (2025) · Sweden: 26 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Sweden are 11.3 cm taller than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 169.2 cm (2019) · Sweden: 180.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Sweden are 9.6 cm taller than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 157.1 cm (2019) · Sweden: 166.7 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Sweden is 9.9 years older than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 30.1 years (2023) · Sweden: 39.9 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Malaysia have 0.1 more children on average than in Sweden.
Malaysia: 1.54 children per woman (2024) · Sweden: 1.43 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in Sweden are 65 or older, versus 8.0% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 8% (2025) · Sweden: 20.9% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Sweden has produced 28.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Malaysia 0.0.
Malaysia: 0 (2025) · Sweden: 28.3 (2025)
How many official languages?
Malaysia has 2 official languages, Sweden 1.
Malaysia: 2 (2026) · Sweden: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Sweden’s economy is 42% larger than Malaysia’s.
Malaysia: $472 billion (2025) · Sweden: $669 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Sweden produces 75% more per person than Malaysia.
Malaysia: Int$41,498 (2025) · Sweden: Int$72,529 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Malaysia than in Sweden (Gini 11.4 points higher).
Malaysia: 40.7 (2021) · Sweden: 29.3 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.7% in Sweden, versus 3.8% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 3.8% (2025) · Sweden: 8.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Sweden spends 2.0% of its GDP on the military, Malaysia 1.0%.
Malaysia: 1% (2024) · Sweden: 2% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Sweden’s price level (US = 100) is 2.8× Malaysia’s.
Malaysia: 32% (2025) · Sweden: 87% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Sweden spends 14 times as much on health per person as Malaysia.
Malaysia: $450 (2023) · Sweden: $6,485 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Sweden live 7.2 years longer than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 76.8 years (2024) · Sweden: 84.1 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Malaysia is 3.5 times as likely to die before turning one as in Sweden.
Malaysia: 7 per 1,000 (2024) · Sweden: 2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Sweden has 88% more doctors per person than Malaysia.
Malaysia: 2.3 per 1,000 (2023) · Sweden: 4.4 per 1,000 (2021)
How common is obesity?
24% of adults in Malaysia are obese, versus 19% in Sweden.
Malaysia: 23.6% (2024) · Sweden: 18.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
20% of adults in Sweden smoke, versus 17% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 16.9% (2024) · Sweden: 20.3% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Sweden rate their lives 1.25 points higher than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 6.01 (2025) · Sweden: 7.26 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Sweden drink 11 times as much alcohol as in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 0.8 litres (2023) · Sweden: 8.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Malaysia has 1% more meat per person than Sweden.
Malaysia: 69.1 kg (2023) · Sweden: 68.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Sweden has 440 kcal more food per person per day than Malaysia.
Malaysia: 2,927 kcal (2023) · Sweden: 3,367 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Malaysia put in 876 more hours a year than in Sweden.
Malaysia: 2,308 hours (2023) · Sweden: 1,432 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Sweden went to school 1.7 years longer than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 11.1 years (2023) · Sweden: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Sweden welcomed 2.2 times as many tourists per resident as Malaysia (2019).
Malaysia: 0.29 (2022) · Sweden: 0.63 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in Malaysia are online, versus 96% in Sweden.
Malaysia: 98% (2024) · Sweden: 96% (2025)
Who has electricity at home?
Malaysia and Sweden are practically level.
Malaysia: 100% (2024) · Sweden: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
89% of people in Sweden live in cities, versus 77% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 77% (2025) · Sweden: 89% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Sweden has 141 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Malaysia 140.
Malaysia: 140 (2024) · Sweden: 141 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Sweden’s railway network is 5.9 times as long as Malaysia’s.
Malaysia: 1,655 km (2021) · Sweden: 9,714 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Sweden fly 42% more passengers per resident than those from Malaysia.
Malaysia: 1.3 (2023) · Sweden: 1.85 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 69% of Sweden, but only 58% of Malaysia.
Malaysia: 57.7% (2023) · Sweden: 68.7% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Malaysia emits 2.3 times as much CO₂ as someone in Sweden.
Malaysia: 8.2 t (2024) · Sweden: 3.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
71% of Sweden’s electricity is renewable, versus 21% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 20.7% (2025) · Sweden: 71.2% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Malaysia carries 2.7 times as much fine dust as in Sweden.
Malaysia: 15.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Sweden: 5.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 56% more likely to be murdered in Sweden than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · Sweden: 1.1 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Malaysia are 6.6 times as deadly as in Sweden.
Malaysia: 13.9 per 100k (2021) · Sweden: 2.1 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Malaysia is on average 21.7 °C warmer than Sweden.
Malaysia: 26°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sweden: 4.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Malaysia gets 3.8 times as much rain as Sweden.
Malaysia: 3,081 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Sweden: 801 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Malaysia bigger than Sweden?
Sweden is larger. Sweden is 60% bigger than Malaysia.
Which has more people, Malaysia or Sweden?
Malaysia has 3.4 times as many people as Sweden (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Malaysia or Sweden?
People in Sweden live 7.2 years longer than in Malaysia. Life expectancy at birth is 76.8 years in Malaysia and 84.1 in Sweden.
Are people taller in Malaysia or Sweden?
Men in Sweden are 11.3 cm taller than in Malaysia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
