The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The United Arab Emirates fits inside Malaysia 3.3 times.
Malaysia: 330,411 km² (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 98,648 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Malaysia’s coastline is 3.5 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’.
Malaysia: 4,675 km (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,318 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Malaysia’s highest peak towers 2,190 m above the United Arab Emirates’.
Malaysia: 4,095 m (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,905 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Malaysia has 3.1 times as many people as the United Arab Emirates.
Malaysia: 36 million (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 11.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United Arab Emirates is 48% more densely populated than Malaysia.
Malaysia: 110 per km² (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 162 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United Arab Emirates are 4.9 cm taller than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 169.2 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 174.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the United Arab Emirates are 3.5 cm taller than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 157.1 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 160.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United Arab Emirates is 1.2 years older than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 30.1 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 31.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Malaysia have 0.3 more children on average than in the United Arab Emirates.
Malaysia: 1.54 children per woman (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 1.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.0% of people in Malaysia are 65 or older, versus 1.8% in the United Arab Emirates.
Malaysia: 8% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 1.8% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates are practically level.
Malaysia: 0 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Malaysia has 2 official languages, the United Arab Emirates 1.
Malaysia: 2 (2026) · United Arab Emirates: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United Arab Emirates’ economy is 17% larger than Malaysia’s.
Malaysia: $472 billion (2025) · United Arab Emirates: $552 billion (2024)
How much is produced per person?
The United Arab Emirates produces 91% more per person than Malaysia.
Malaysia: Int$41,498 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: Int$79,344 (2024)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Malaysia than in the United Arab Emirates (Gini 14.3 points higher).
Malaysia: 40.7 (2021) · United Arab Emirates: 26.4 (2018)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.8% in Malaysia, versus 2.2% in the United Arab Emirates.
Malaysia: 3.8% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 2.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United Arab Emirates spends 5.6% of its GDP on the military, Malaysia 1.0%.
Malaysia: 1% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 5.6% (2014)
How expensive is it?
The United Arab Emirates’ price level (US = 100) is 2× Malaysia’s.
Malaysia: 32% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 63% (2024)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United Arab Emirates spends 5.3 times as much on health per person as Malaysia.
Malaysia: $450 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: $2,402 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 6.2 years longer than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 76.8 years (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 83.1 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Malaysia is 84% more likely to die before turning one than in the United Arab Emirates.
Malaysia: 7 per 1,000 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 3.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United Arab Emirates has 28% more doctors per person than Malaysia.
Malaysia: 2.3 per 1,000 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
30% of adults in the United Arab Emirates are obese, versus 24% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 23.6% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 30.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
17% of adults in Malaysia smoke, versus 9.0% in the United Arab Emirates.
Malaysia: 16.9% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the United Arab Emirates rate their lives 0.82 points higher than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 6.01 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Malaysia drink 26% more alcohol than in the United Arab Emirates.
Malaysia: 0.8 litres (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Malaysia has 2% more meat per person than the United Arab Emirates.
Malaysia: 69.1 kg (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 67.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United Arab Emirates has 199 kcal more food per person per day than Malaysia.
Malaysia: 2,927 kcal (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 3,125 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United Arab Emirates put in 207 more hours a year than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 2,308 hours (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 2,514 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United Arab Emirates went to school 1.9 years longer than in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 11.1 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 13 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United Arab Emirates welcomed 7.9 times as many tourists per resident as Malaysia (2019).
Malaysia: 0.29 (2022) · United Arab Emirates: 2.28 (2019)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
100% of people in the United Arab Emirates are online, versus 98% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 98% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates are practically level.
Malaysia: 100% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
86% of people in the United Arab Emirates live in cities, versus 77% in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 77% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 86% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United Arab Emirates has 203 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Malaysia 140.
Malaysia: 140 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 203 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Malaysia’s railway network is 5.9 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’.
Malaysia: 1,655 km (2021) · United Arab Emirates: 279 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United Arab Emirates fly 6.1 times as many passengers per resident as those from Malaysia.
Malaysia: 1.3 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 7.91 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 58% of Malaysia, but only 4.5% of the United Arab Emirates.
Malaysia: 57.7% (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 4.5% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United Arab Emirates emits 2.5 times as much CO₂ as someone in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 8.2 t (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 20.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
21% of Malaysia’s electricity is renewable, versus 8.8% in the United Arab Emirates.
Malaysia: 20.7% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 8.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the United Arab Emirates carries 3.6 times as much fine dust as in Malaysia.
Malaysia: 15.3 µg/m³ (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 55.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 6% more likely to be murdered in Malaysia than in the United Arab Emirates.
Malaysia: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Malaysia are 2.4 times as deadly as in the United Arab Emirates.
Malaysia: 13.9 per 100k (2021) · United Arab Emirates: 5.9 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The United Arab Emirates is on average 2.8 °C warmer than Malaysia.
Malaysia: 26°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 28.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Malaysia gets 66 times as much rain as the United Arab Emirates.
Malaysia: 3,081 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 47 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Malaysia bigger than the United Arab Emirates?
Malaysia is larger. The United Arab Emirates fits inside Malaysia 3.3 times.
Which has more people, Malaysia or the United Arab Emirates?
Malaysia has 3.1 times as many people as the United Arab Emirates (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Malaysia or the United Arab Emirates?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 6.2 years longer than in Malaysia. Life expectancy at birth is 76.8 years in Malaysia and 83.1 in the United Arab Emirates.
Are people taller in Malaysia or the United Arab Emirates?
Men in the United Arab Emirates are 4.9 cm taller than in Malaysia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
