Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Switzerland fits inside Malaysia 8 times.
Malaysia: 330,411 km² (2023) · Switzerland: 41,291 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Malaysia: 4,675 km (2026 edition) · Switzerland: 0 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Switzerland’s highest peak towers 539 m above Malaysia’s.
Malaysia: 4,095 m (2026 edition) · Switzerland: 4,634 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Malaysia has 4 times as many people as Switzerland.
Malaysia: 36 million (2025) · Switzerland: 9.09 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Switzerland is 2.1 times as densely populated as Malaysia.
Malaysia: 110 per km² (2025) · Switzerland: 230 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Switzerland are 9.5 cm taller than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 169.2 cm (2019) · Switzerland: 178.7 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Switzerland are 7.3 cm taller than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 157.1 cm (2019) · Switzerland: 164.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Switzerland is 12 years older than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 30.1 years (2023) · Switzerland: 42.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Malaysia have 0.3 more children on average than in Switzerland.
Malaysia: 1.54 children per woman (2024) · Switzerland: 1.29 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in Switzerland are 65 or older, versus 8.0% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 8% (2025) · Switzerland: 20.4% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Switzerland has produced 20.9 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Malaysia none.
Malaysia: 0 (2025) · Switzerland: 20.9 (2025)
How many official languages?
Switzerland has 4 official languages, Malaysia 2.
Malaysia: 2 (2026) · Switzerland: 4 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Switzerland’s economy is 2.2 times the size of Malaysia’s.
Malaysia: $472 billion (2025) · Switzerland: $1.04 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Switzerland produces 2.5 times as much per person as Malaysia.
Malaysia: Int$41,498 (2025) · Switzerland: Int$102,513 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Malaysia than in Switzerland (Gini 6.9 points higher).
Malaysia: 40.7 (2021) · Switzerland: 33.8 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.9% in Switzerland, versus 3.8% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 3.8% (2025) · Switzerland: 4.9% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Malaysia and Switzerland are practically level.
Malaysia: 1% (2024) · Switzerland: 0.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Switzerland’s price level (US = 100) is 3.5× Malaysia’s.
Malaysia: 32% (2025) · Switzerland: 112% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Switzerland spends 26 times as much on health per person as Malaysia.
Malaysia: $450 (2023) · Switzerland: $11,784 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Switzerland live 7.6 years longer than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 76.8 years (2024) · Switzerland: 84.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Malaysia is 2.1 times as likely to die before turning one as in Switzerland.
Malaysia: 7 per 1,000 (2024) · Switzerland: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Switzerland has 91% more doctors per person than Malaysia.
Malaysia: 2.3 per 1,000 (2023) · Switzerland: 4.5 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
24% of adults in Malaysia are obese, versus 13% in Switzerland.
Malaysia: 23.6% (2024) · Switzerland: 12.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
23% of adults in Switzerland smoke, versus 17% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 16.9% (2024) · Switzerland: 23.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Switzerland rate their lives 1.01 points higher than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 6.01 (2025) · Switzerland: 7.02 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Switzerland drink 11 times as much alcohol as in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 0.8 litres (2023) · Switzerland: 8.8 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Malaysia has 8% more meat per person than Switzerland.
Malaysia: 69.1 kg (2023) · Switzerland: 64 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Switzerland has 476 kcal more food per person per day than Malaysia.
Malaysia: 2,927 kcal (2023) · Switzerland: 3,402 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Malaysia put in 779 more hours a year than in Switzerland.
Malaysia: 2,308 hours (2023) · Switzerland: 1,529 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Switzerland went to school 2.9 years longer than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 11.1 years (2023) · Switzerland: 13.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Switzerland welcomed 3.6 times as many tourists per resident as Malaysia (2019).
Malaysia: 0.29 (2022) · Switzerland: 1.04 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in Malaysia are online, versus 97% in Switzerland.
Malaysia: 98% (2024) · Switzerland: 97% (2025)
Who has electricity at home?
Malaysia and Switzerland are practically level.
Malaysia: 100% (2024) · Switzerland: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
86% of people in Switzerland live in cities, versus 77% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 77% (2025) · Switzerland: 86% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Malaysia has 140 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Switzerland 129.
Malaysia: 140 (2024) · Switzerland: 129 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Switzerland’s railway network is 2.5 times as long as Malaysia’s.
Malaysia: 1,655 km (2021) · Switzerland: 4,122 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Switzerland fly 2.3 times as many passengers per resident as those from Malaysia.
Malaysia: 1.3 (2023) · Switzerland: 3.05 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 58% of Malaysia, but only 32% of Switzerland.
Malaysia: 57.7% (2023) · Switzerland: 32.4% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Malaysia emits 2.3 times as much CO₂ as someone in Switzerland.
Malaysia: 8.2 t (2024) · Switzerland: 3.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
68% of Switzerland’s electricity is renewable, versus 21% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 20.7% (2025) · Switzerland: 67.8% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Malaysia carries 70% more fine dust than in Switzerland.
Malaysia: 15.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Switzerland: 9 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 23% more likely to be murdered in Malaysia than in Switzerland.
Malaysia: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · Switzerland: 0.6 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Malaysia are 5.8 times as deadly as in Switzerland.
Malaysia: 13.9 per 100k (2021) · Switzerland: 2.4 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Malaysia is on average 19.5 °C warmer than Switzerland.
Malaysia: 26°C (2016–2025 avg) · Switzerland: 6.5°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Malaysia gets 91% more rain than Switzerland.
Malaysia: 3,081 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Switzerland: 1,616 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Malaysia bigger than Switzerland?
Malaysia is larger. Switzerland fits inside Malaysia 8 times.
Which has more people, Malaysia or Switzerland?
Malaysia has 4 times as many people as Switzerland (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Malaysia or Switzerland?
People in Switzerland live 7.6 years longer than in Malaysia. Life expectancy at birth is 76.8 years in Malaysia and 84.4 in Switzerland.
Are people taller in Malaysia or Switzerland?
Men in Switzerland are 9.5 cm taller than in Malaysia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
