Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Malaysia is 36% bigger than the United Kingdom
Malaysia: 330,534 km² (2024) · United Kingdom: 243,610 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
The United Kingdom’s coastline is 2.7 times as long as Malaysia’s
Malaysia: 4,675 km (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 12,429 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Malaysia’s highest peak towers 2,750 m above the United Kingdom’s
Malaysia: 4,095 m (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 1,345 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 69% of the United Kingdom, versus 25% of Malaysia
Malaysia: 24.8% (2024) · United Kingdom: 69.2% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United Kingdom has 93% more people than Malaysia
Malaysia: 36 million (2025) · United Kingdom: 69.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United Kingdom is 2.6 times as densely populated as Malaysia
Malaysia: 110 per km² (2025) · United Kingdom: 287 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United Kingdom are 9.0 cm taller than in Malaysia
Malaysia: 169.2 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 178.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the United Kingdom are 6.9 cm taller than in Malaysia
Malaysia: 157.1 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 163.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United Kingdom is 9.7 years older than in Malaysia
Malaysia: 30.1 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 39.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
The United Kingdom and Malaysia are practically level
Malaysia: 1.54 children per woman (2024) · United Kingdom: 1.55 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in the United Kingdom are 65 or older, versus 8.0% in Malaysia
Malaysia: 8% (2025) · United Kingdom: 19.7% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
The United Kingdom hosts 2 times as many refugees per resident as Malaysia
Malaysia: 4.2 per 1,000 (2025) · United Kingdom: 8.4 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The United Kingdom has produced 15.8 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Malaysia none
Malaysia: 0 (2026) · United Kingdom: 15.8 (2026)
How many official languages?
Malaysia has 2 official languages, the United Kingdom 1
Malaysia: 2 (2026) · United Kingdom: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United Kingdom’s economy is 8.5 times the size of Malaysia’s
Malaysia: $472 billion (2025) · United Kingdom: $4 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The United Kingdom produces 56% more per person than Malaysia
Malaysia: Int$41,498 (2025) · United Kingdom: Int$64,607 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Malaysia than in the United Kingdom (Gini 8.3 points higher)
Malaysia: 40.7 (2021) · United Kingdom: 32.4 (2021)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
The United Kingdom and Malaysia are practically level
Malaysia: 0% (2021) · United Kingdom: 0.4% (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.7% in the United Kingdom, versus 3.8% in Malaysia
Malaysia: 3.8% (2025) · United Kingdom: 4.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United Kingdom spends 2.4% of its GDP on the military, Malaysia 1.0%
Malaysia: 1% (2025) · United Kingdom: 2.4% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
The United Kingdom’s central government collects 27% of GDP in tax, Malaysia’s 12%
Malaysia: 12.4% (2024) · United Kingdom: 26.9% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United Kingdom’s price level (US = 100) is 2.8× Malaysia’s
Malaysia: 32% (2025) · United Kingdom: 89% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United Kingdom spends 13 times as much on health per person as Malaysia
Malaysia: $450 (2023) · United Kingdom: $5,860 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in the United Kingdom live 4.6 years longer than in Malaysia
Malaysia: 76.8 years (2024) · United Kingdom: 81.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Malaysia is 71% more likely to die before turning one than in the United Kingdom
Malaysia: 7 per 1,000 (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United Kingdom has 41% more doctors per person than Malaysia
Malaysia: 2.3 per 1,000 (2023) · United Kingdom: 3.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
The United Kingdom has 23% more hospital beds per person than Malaysia
Malaysia: 2 per 1,000 (2023) · United Kingdom: 2.4 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in the United Kingdom is 92% higher than in Malaysia
Malaysia: 5 per 100k (2023) · United Kingdom: 9.6 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
29% of adults in the United Kingdom are obese, versus 24% in Malaysia
Malaysia: 23.6% (2024) · United Kingdom: 29.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
17% of adults in Malaysia smoke, versus 13% in the United Kingdom
Malaysia: 16.9% (2024) · United Kingdom: 12.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the United Kingdom rate their lives 0.69 points higher than in Malaysia
Malaysia: 6.01 (2025) · United Kingdom: 6.69 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United Kingdom drink 13 times as much alcohol as in Malaysia
Malaysia: 0.8 litres (2023) · United Kingdom: 10.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United Kingdom has 22% more meat per person than Malaysia
Malaysia: 69.1 kg (2023) · United Kingdom: 84.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United Kingdom has 508 kcal more food per person per day than Malaysia
Malaysia: 2,927 kcal (2023) · United Kingdom: 3,435 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Malaysia put in 785 more hours a year than in the United Kingdom
Malaysia: 2,308 hours (2023) · United Kingdom: 1,523 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United Kingdom went to school 2.4 years longer than in Malaysia
Malaysia: 11.1 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 13.5 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United Kingdom welcomed 90% more tourists per resident than Malaysia (2019)
Malaysia: 0.29 (2022) · United Kingdom: 0.55 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
The United Kingdom has 29 more World Heritage sites than Malaysia (35 against 6)
Malaysia: 6 (2026) · United Kingdom: 35 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
The United Kingdom has won 1,025 Olympic medals, Malaysia 15
Malaysia: 15 (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 1,025 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in Malaysia are online, versus 95% in the United Kingdom
Malaysia: 98% (2024) · United Kingdom: 95% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in the United Kingdom is 13% faster than in Malaysia
Malaysia: 269 Mbps (2026) · United Kingdom: 303 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Malaysia and the United Kingdom are practically level
Malaysia: 100% (2024) · United Kingdom: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
83% of people in the United Kingdom live in cities, versus 77% in Malaysia
Malaysia: 77% (2025) · United Kingdom: 83% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Malaysia has 140 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the United Kingdom 122
Malaysia: 140 (2024) · United Kingdom: 122 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United Kingdom’s railway network is 9.8 times as long as Malaysia’s
Malaysia: 1,655 km (2021) · United Kingdom: 16,179 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United Kingdom fly 32% more passengers per resident than those from Malaysia
Malaysia: 1.3 (2023) · United Kingdom: 1.71 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 58% of Malaysia, but only 13% of the United Kingdom
Malaysia: 57.7% (2024) · United Kingdom: 13.5% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Malaysia emits 80% more CO₂ than someone in the United Kingdom
Malaysia: 8.2 t (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.5 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
52% of the United Kingdom’s electricity is renewable, versus 21% in Malaysia
Malaysia: 20.7% (2025) · United Kingdom: 52% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Malaysia carries 74% more fine dust than in the United Kingdom
Malaysia: 15.3 µg/m³ (2024) · United Kingdom: 8.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 52% more likely to be murdered in the United Kingdom than in Malaysia
Malaysia: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · United Kingdom: 1.1 per 100k (2021)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Malaysia are 4.2 times as deadly as in the United Kingdom
Malaysia: 16.2 per 100k (2023) · United Kingdom: 3.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Malaysia is on average 16.1 °C warmer than the United Kingdom
Malaysia: 26°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Kingdom: 9.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Malaysia gets 2.9 times as much rain as the United Kingdom
Malaysia: 3,081 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Kingdom: 1,070 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Malaysia bigger than the United Kingdom?
Malaysia is larger. Malaysia is 36% bigger than the United Kingdom.
Which has more people, Malaysia or the United Kingdom?
The United Kingdom has 93% more people than Malaysia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Malaysia or the United Kingdom?
People in the United Kingdom live 4.6 years longer than in Malaysia. Life expectancy at birth is 76.8 years in Malaysia and 81.4 in the United Kingdom.
Are people taller in Malaysia or the United Kingdom?
Men in the United Kingdom are 9.0 cm taller than in Malaysia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
