The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Malaysia fits inside the United States 30 times
Malaysia: 330,534 km² (2024) · United States: 9,831,510 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
The United States’ coastline is 4.3 times as long as Malaysia’s
Malaysia: 4,675 km (2026 edition) · United States: 19,924 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The United States’ highest peak towers 2,095 m above Malaysia’s
Malaysia: 4,095 m (2026 edition) · United States: 6,190 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 46% of the United States, versus 25% of Malaysia
Malaysia: 24.8% (2024) · United States: 46.1% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United States has 9.5 times as many people as Malaysia
Malaysia: 36 million (2025) · United States: 342 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Malaysia is 2.9 times as densely populated as the United States
Malaysia: 110 per km² (2025) · United States: 37 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United States are 7.7 cm taller than in Malaysia
Malaysia: 169.2 cm (2019) · United States: 176.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the United States are 6.3 cm taller than in Malaysia
Malaysia: 157.1 cm (2019) · United States: 163.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United States is 8 years older than in Malaysia
Malaysia: 30.1 years (2023) · United States: 38 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the United States have 0.1 more children on average than in Malaysia
Malaysia: 1.54 children per woman (2024) · United States: 1.63 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
18% of people in the United States are 65 or older, versus 8.0% in Malaysia
Malaysia: 8% (2025) · United States: 18.4% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Malaysia hosts 3.1 times as many refugees per resident as the United States
Malaysia: 4.2 per 1,000 (2025) · United States: 1.3 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The United States has produced 8.7 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Malaysia none
Malaysia: 0 (2026) · United States: 8.7 (2026)
How many official languages?
Malaysia has 2 official languages, the United States 1
Malaysia: 2 (2026) · United States: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United States’ economy is 65 times the size of Malaysia’s
Malaysia: $472 billion (2025) · United States: $30.8 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The United States produces 2.2 times as much per person as Malaysia
Malaysia: Int$41,498 (2025) · United States: Int$90,027 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the United States than in Malaysia (Gini 1.1 points higher)
Malaysia: 40.7 (2021) · United States: 41.8 (2024)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
1.1% of people in the United States live on less than $3 a day, versus 0% in Malaysia
Malaysia: 0% (2021) · United States: 1.1% (2024)
How many people are looking for work?
The United States and Malaysia are practically level
Malaysia: 3.8% (2025) · United States: 4.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United States spends 3.1% of its GDP on the military, Malaysia 1.0%
Malaysia: 1% (2025) · United States: 3.1% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Malaysia’s central government collects 12% of GDP in tax, the United States’ 11%
Malaysia: 12.4% (2024) · United States: 10.8% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United States’ price level (US = 100) is 3.2× Malaysia’s
Malaysia: 32% (2025) · United States: 100% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United States spends 30 times as much on health per person as Malaysia
Malaysia: $450 (2023) · United States: $13,473 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United States live 2.1 years longer than in Malaysia
Malaysia: 76.8 years (2024) · United States: 78.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Malaysia is 27% more likely to die before turning one than in the United States
Malaysia: 7 per 1,000 (2024) · United States: 5.5 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United States has 57% more doctors per person than Malaysia
Malaysia: 2.3 per 1,000 (2023) · United States: 3.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
The United States has 37% more hospital beds per person than Malaysia
Malaysia: 2 per 1,000 (2023) · United States: 2.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in the United States is 2.7 times that in Malaysia
Malaysia: 5 per 100k (2023) · United States: 13.3 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
42% of adults in the United States are obese, versus 24% in Malaysia
Malaysia: 23.6% (2024) · United States: 41.8% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
17% of adults in Malaysia smoke, versus 16% in the United States
Malaysia: 16.9% (2024) · United States: 15.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the United States rate their lives 0.81 points higher than in Malaysia
Malaysia: 6.01 (2025) · United States: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United States drink 12 times as much alcohol as in Malaysia
Malaysia: 0.8 litres (2023) · United States: 9.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United States has 77% more meat per person than Malaysia
Malaysia: 69.1 kg (2023) · United States: 122.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United States has 1,021 kcal more food per person per day than Malaysia
Malaysia: 2,927 kcal (2023) · United States: 3,947 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Malaysia put in 519 more hours a year than in the United States
Malaysia: 2,308 hours (2023) · United States: 1,789 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United States went to school 2.8 years longer than in Malaysia
Malaysia: 11.1 years (2023) · United States: 13.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Malaysia welcomed 36% more tourists per resident than the United States (2019)
Malaysia: 0.29 (2022) · United States: 0.21 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
The United States has 21 more World Heritage sites than Malaysia (27 against 6)
Malaysia: 6 (2026) · United States: 27 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
The United States has won 3,137 Olympic medals, Malaysia 15
Malaysia: 15 (2026 edition) · United States: 3,137 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in Malaysia are online, versus 95% in the United States
Malaysia: 98% (2024) · United States: 95% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in the United States is 49% faster than in Malaysia
Malaysia: 269 Mbps (2026) · United States: 401 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Malaysia and the United States are practically level
Malaysia: 100% (2024) · United States: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
80% of people in the United States live in cities, versus 77% in Malaysia
Malaysia: 77% (2025) · United States: 80% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Malaysia has 140 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the United States 113
Malaysia: 140 (2024) · United States: 113 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United States’ railway network is 90 times as long as Malaysia’s
Malaysia: 1,655 km (2021) · United States: 148,553 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United States fly 2.1 times as many passengers per resident as those from Malaysia
Malaysia: 1.3 (2023) · United States: 2.75 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 58% of Malaysia, but only 34% of the United States
Malaysia: 57.7% (2024) · United States: 33.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United States emits 74% more CO₂ than someone in Malaysia
Malaysia: 8.2 t (2024) · United States: 14.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
26% of the United States’ electricity is renewable, versus 21% in Malaysia
Malaysia: 20.7% (2025) · United States: 25.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Malaysia carries 2 times as much fine dust as in the United States
Malaysia: 15.3 µg/m³ (2024) · United States: 7.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 7.8 times as likely to be murdered in the United States as in Malaysia
Malaysia: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · United States: 5.8 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the United States are 62% deadlier than in Malaysia
Malaysia: 16.2 per 100k (2023) · United States: 26.3 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Malaysia is on average 15.7 °C warmer than the United States
Malaysia: 26°C (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Malaysia gets 3.6 times as much rain as the United States
Malaysia: 3,081 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 849 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 States?
The United States is larger. Malaysia fits inside the United States 30 times.
Which has more people, Malaysia or the United States?
The United States has 9.5 times as many people as Malaysia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Malaysia or the United States?
People in the United States live 2.1 years longer than in Malaysia. Life expectancy at birth is 76.8 years in Malaysia and 78.9 in the United States.
Are people taller in Malaysia or the United States?
Men in the United States are 7.7 cm taller than in Malaysia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
