Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Ukraine is 83% bigger than Malaysia.
Malaysia: 330,411 km² (2023) · Ukraine: 603,550 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Malaysia’s coastline is 68% longer than Ukraine’s.
Malaysia: 4,675 km (2026 edition) · Ukraine: 2,782 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Malaysia’s highest peak towers 2,034 m above Ukraine’s.
Malaysia: 4,095 m (2026 edition) · Ukraine: 2,061 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Ukraine has 8% more people than Malaysia.
Malaysia: 36 million (2025) · Ukraine: 39 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Malaysia is 63% more densely populated than Ukraine.
Malaysia: 110 per km² (2025) · Ukraine: 67 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Ukraine are 11.8 cm taller than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 169.2 cm (2019) · Ukraine: 181 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Ukraine are 9.6 cm taller than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 157.1 cm (2019) · Ukraine: 166.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Ukraine is 12 years older than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 30.1 years (2023) · Ukraine: 42 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Malaysia have 0.6 more children on average than in Ukraine.
Malaysia: 1.54 children per woman (2024) · Ukraine: 0.99 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
19% of people in Ukraine are 65 or older, versus 8.0% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 8% (2025) · Ukraine: 19% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Ukraine has produced 1.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Malaysia 0.0.
Malaysia: 0 (2025) · Ukraine: 1.3 (2025)
How many official languages?
Malaysia has 2 official languages, Ukraine 1.
Malaysia: 2 (2026) · Ukraine: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Malaysia’s economy is 2.2 times the size of Ukraine’s.
Malaysia: $472 billion (2025) · Ukraine: $214 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Malaysia produces 2.2 times as much per person as Ukraine.
Malaysia: Int$41,498 (2025) · Ukraine: Int$18,905 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Malaysia than in Ukraine (Gini 15.1 points higher).
Malaysia: 40.7 (2021) · Ukraine: 25.6 (2020)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 9.8% in Ukraine, versus 3.8% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 3.8% (2025) · Ukraine: 9.8% (2021)
How much goes to the military?
Ukraine spends 34% of its GDP on the military, Malaysia 1.0%.
Malaysia: 1% (2024) · Ukraine: 34.5% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Malaysia’s price level (US = 100) is 1× Ukraine’s.
Malaysia: 32% (2025) · Ukraine: 31% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Malaysia spends 22% more on health per person than Ukraine.
Malaysia: $450 (2023) · Ukraine: $370 (2021)
How long do people live?
People in Malaysia live 2.1 years longer than in Ukraine.
Malaysia: 76.8 years (2024) · Ukraine: 74.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Ukraine is 9% more likely to die before turning one than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 7 per 1,000 (2024) · Ukraine: 7.6 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Ukraine has 51% more doctors per person than Malaysia.
Malaysia: 2.3 per 1,000 (2023) · Ukraine: 3.5 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
28% of adults in Ukraine are obese, versus 24% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 23.6% (2024) · Ukraine: 27.8% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
24% of adults in Ukraine smoke, versus 17% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 16.9% (2024) · Ukraine: 23.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Malaysia rate their lives 1.35 points higher than in Ukraine.
Malaysia: 6.01 (2025) · Ukraine: 4.66 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Ukraine drink 4.8 times as much alcohol as in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 0.8 litres (2023) · Ukraine: 3.9 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Malaysia has 40% more meat per person than Ukraine.
Malaysia: 69.1 kg (2023) · Ukraine: 49.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Malaysia has 141 kcal more food per person per day than Ukraine.
Malaysia: 2,927 kcal (2023) · Ukraine: 2,786 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Malaysia put in 263 more hours a year than in Ukraine.
Malaysia: 2,308 hours (2023) · Ukraine: 2,045 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Ukraine and Malaysia are practically level.
Malaysia: 11.1 years (2023) · Ukraine: 11.1 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Malaysia welcomed 4.4 times as many tourists per resident as Ukraine (2019).
Malaysia: 0.29 (2022) · Ukraine: 0.07 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in Malaysia are online, versus 82% in Ukraine.
Malaysia: 98% (2024) · Ukraine: 82% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Malaysia and Ukraine are practically level.
Malaysia: 100% (2024) · Ukraine: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
77% of people in Malaysia live in cities, versus 70% in Ukraine.
Malaysia: 77% (2025) · Ukraine: 70% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Malaysia has 140 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Ukraine 133.
Malaysia: 140 (2024) · Ukraine: 133 (2023)
How much railway is there?
Ukraine’s railway network is 13 times as long as Malaysia’s.
Malaysia: 1,655 km (2021) · Ukraine: 21,626 km (2020)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Malaysia fly 112 times as many passengers per resident as those from Ukraine.
Malaysia: 1.3 (2023) · Ukraine: 0.01 (2022)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 58% of Malaysia, but only 17% of Ukraine.
Malaysia: 57.7% (2023) · Ukraine: 16.8% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Malaysia emits 2.2 times as much CO₂ as someone in Ukraine.
Malaysia: 8.2 t (2024) · Ukraine: 3.8 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
21% of Malaysia’s electricity is renewable, versus 16% in Ukraine.
Malaysia: 20.7% (2025) · Ukraine: 16.4% (2022)
How clean is the air?
The air in Malaysia carries 8% more fine dust than in Ukraine.
Malaysia: 15.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Ukraine: 14.2 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 5.1 times as likely to be murdered in Ukraine as in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · Ukraine: 3.8 per 100k (2021)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Malaysia are 32% deadlier than in Ukraine.
Malaysia: 13.9 per 100k (2021) · Ukraine: 10.5 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Malaysia is on average 15.7 °C warmer than Ukraine.
Malaysia: 26°C (2016–2025 avg) · Ukraine: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Malaysia gets 5 times as much rain as Ukraine.
Malaysia: 3,081 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Ukraine: 619 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Malaysia bigger than Ukraine?
Ukraine is larger. Ukraine is 83% bigger than Malaysia.
Which has more people, Malaysia or Ukraine?
Ukraine has 8% more people than Malaysia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Malaysia or Ukraine?
People in Malaysia live 2.1 years longer than in Ukraine. Life expectancy at birth is 76.8 years in Malaysia and 74.7 in Ukraine.
Are people taller in Malaysia or Ukraine?
Men in Ukraine are 11.8 cm taller than in Malaysia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
