Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Malaysia fits inside Tanzania 2.9 times.
Malaysia: 330,411 km² (2023) · Tanzania: 947,300 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Malaysia’s coastline is 3.3 times as long as Tanzania’s.
Malaysia: 4,675 km (2026 edition) · Tanzania: 1,424 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Tanzania’s highest peak towers 1,800 m above Malaysia’s.
Malaysia: 4,095 m (2026 edition) · Tanzania: 5,895 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Tanzania has 2 times as many people as Malaysia.
Malaysia: 36 million (2025) · Tanzania: 70.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Malaysia is 37% more densely populated than Tanzania.
Malaysia: 110 per km² (2025) · Tanzania: 80 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Malaysia are 2.2 cm taller than in Tanzania.
Malaysia: 169.2 cm (2019) · Tanzania: 167 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Malaysia and Tanzania are practically level.
Malaysia: 157.1 cm (2019) · Tanzania: 156.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Malaysia is 13 years older than in Tanzania.
Malaysia: 30.1 years (2023) · Tanzania: 17.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Tanzania have 3.0 more children on average than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 1.54 children per woman (2024) · Tanzania: 4.54 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.0% of people in Malaysia are 65 or older, versus 3.0% in Tanzania.
Malaysia: 8% (2025) · Tanzania: 3% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Malaysia and Tanzania are practically level.
Malaysia: 0 (2025) · Tanzania: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Malaysia and Tanzania are practically level.
Malaysia: 2 (2026) · Tanzania: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Malaysia’s economy is 5.2 times the size of Tanzania’s.
Malaysia: $472 billion (2025) · Tanzania: $90.1 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Malaysia produces 9.3 times as much per person as Tanzania.
Malaysia: Int$41,498 (2025) · Tanzania: Int$4,471 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Malaysia and Tanzania are practically level.
Malaysia: 40.7 (2021) · Tanzania: 40.5 (2018)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.8% in Malaysia, versus 1.6% in Tanzania.
Malaysia: 3.8% (2025) · Tanzania: 1.6% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Tanzania and Malaysia are practically level.
Malaysia: 1% (2024) · Tanzania: 1.2% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Malaysia’s price level (US = 100) is 1.1× Tanzania’s.
Malaysia: 32% (2025) · Tanzania: 29% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Malaysia spends 12 times as much on health per person as Tanzania.
Malaysia: $450 (2023) · Tanzania: $36 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Malaysia live 9.6 years longer than in Tanzania.
Malaysia: 76.8 years (2024) · Tanzania: 67.2 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Tanzania is 4.1 times as likely to die before turning one as in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 7 per 1,000 (2024) · Tanzania: 28.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Malaysia has 17 times as many doctors per person as Tanzania.
Malaysia: 2.3 per 1,000 (2023) · Tanzania: 0.1 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
24% of adults in Malaysia are obese, versus 10% in Tanzania.
Malaysia: 23.6% (2024) · Tanzania: 10.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
17% of adults in Malaysia smoke, versus 7.7% in Tanzania.
Malaysia: 16.9% (2024) · Tanzania: 7.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Malaysia rate their lives 2.10 points higher than in Tanzania.
Malaysia: 6.01 (2025) · Tanzania: 3.90 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Tanzania drink 85% more alcohol than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 0.8 litres (2023) · Tanzania: 1.5 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Malaysia has 5.7 times as much meat per person as Tanzania.
Malaysia: 69.1 kg (2023) · Tanzania: 12.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Malaysia has 408 kcal more food per person per day than Tanzania.
Malaysia: 2,927 kcal (2023) · Tanzania: 2,518 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Malaysia put in 179 more hours a year than in Tanzania.
Malaysia: 2,308 hours (2023) · Tanzania: 2,129 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Malaysia went to school 5 years longer than in Tanzania.
Malaysia: 11.1 years (2023) · Tanzania: 6.1 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Malaysia welcomed 13 times as many tourists per resident as Tanzania (2019).
Malaysia: 0.29 (2022) · Tanzania: 0.02 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in Malaysia are online, versus 31% in Tanzania.
Malaysia: 98% (2024) · Tanzania: 31% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Malaysia have electricity, versus 52% in Tanzania.
Malaysia: 100% (2024) · Tanzania: 52.4% (2024)
How many live in cities?
77% of people in Malaysia live in cities, versus 37% in Tanzania.
Malaysia: 77% (2025) · Tanzania: 37% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Malaysia has 140 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Tanzania 127.
Malaysia: 140 (2024) · Tanzania: 127 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Tanzania’s railway network is 63% longer than Malaysia’s.
Malaysia: 1,655 km (2021) · Tanzania: 2,701 km (2017)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Malaysia fly 48 times as many passengers per resident as those from Tanzania.
Malaysia: 1.3 (2023) · Tanzania: 0.03 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 58% of Malaysia, but only 50% of Tanzania.
Malaysia: 57.7% (2023) · Tanzania: 50.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Malaysia emits 28 times as much CO₂ as someone in Tanzania.
Malaysia: 8.2 t (2024) · Tanzania: 0.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
33% of Tanzania’s electricity is renewable, versus 21% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 20.7% (2025) · Tanzania: 32.9% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Tanzania carries 61% more fine dust than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 15.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Tanzania: 24.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 5.1 times as likely to be murdered in Tanzania as in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · Tanzania: 3.7 per 100k (2020)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Tanzania are 14% deadlier than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 13.9 per 100k (2021) · Tanzania: 15.8 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Malaysia is on average 2.9 °C warmer than Tanzania.
Malaysia: 26°C (2016–2025 avg) · Tanzania: 23.1°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Malaysia gets 2.8 times as much rain as Tanzania.
Malaysia: 3,081 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Tanzania: 1,102 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Malaysia bigger than Tanzania?
Tanzania is larger. Malaysia fits inside Tanzania 2.9 times.
Which has more people, Malaysia or Tanzania?
Tanzania has 2 times as many people as Malaysia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Malaysia or Tanzania?
People in Malaysia live 9.6 years longer than in Tanzania. Life expectancy at birth is 76.8 years in Malaysia and 67.2 in Tanzania.
Are people taller in Malaysia or Tanzania?
Men in Malaysia are 2.2 cm taller than in Tanzania (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
