World median is the middle country on each statistic: half of all countries with data are above it, half below. It is not an average, so it is never pulled up or down by giants or microstates.
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The median country fits inside Malaysia 3 times
Malaysia: 330,534 km² (2024) · World median: 111,370 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Malaysia’s coastline is 11 times as long as the median country’s
Malaysia: 4,675 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Malaysia’s highest peak towers 1,760 m above the median country’s
Malaysia: 4,095 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 38% of the median country, versus 25% of Malaysia
Malaysia: 24.8% (2024) · World median: 37.8% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Malaysia has 4.9 times as many people as the median country
Malaysia: 36 million (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Malaysia is 11% more densely populated than the median country
Malaysia: 110 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the median country are 4.3 cm taller than in Malaysia
Malaysia: 169.2 cm (2019) · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the median country are 3.5 cm taller than in Malaysia
Malaysia: 157.1 cm (2019) · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the median country is 1.1 years older than in Malaysia
Malaysia: 30.1 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the median country have 0.4 more children on average than in Malaysia
Malaysia: 1.54 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.6% of people in the median country are 65 or older, versus 8.0% in Malaysia
Malaysia: 8% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Malaysia hosts 5.1 times as many refugees per resident as the median country
Malaysia: 4.2 per 1,000 (2025) · World median: 0.8 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Malaysia and the median country are practically level
Malaysia: 0 (2026) · World median: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Malaysia has 2 official languages, the median country 1
Malaysia: 2 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Malaysia’s economy is 10 times the size of the median country’s
Malaysia: $472 billion (2025) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Malaysia produces 2 times as much per person as the median country
Malaysia: Int$41,498 (2025) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Malaysia than in the median country (Gini 6.3 points higher)
Malaysia: 40.7 (2021) · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
1.6% of people in the median country live on less than $3 a day, versus 0% in Malaysia
Malaysia: 0% (2021) · World median: 1.6% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.1% in the median country, versus 3.8% in Malaysia
Malaysia: 3.8% (2025) · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The median country spends 1.8% of its GDP on the military, Malaysia 1.0%
Malaysia: 1% (2025) · World median: 1.8% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
The median country’s central government collects 17% of GDP in tax, Malaysia’s 12%
Malaysia: 12.4% (2024) · World median: 17% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The median country’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× Malaysia’s
Malaysia: 32% (2025) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The median country spends 4% more on health per person than Malaysia
Malaysia: $450 (2023) · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Malaysia live 2.2 years longer than in the median country
Malaysia: 76.8 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the median country is 81% more likely to die before turning one than in Malaysia
Malaysia: 7 per 1,000 (2024) · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Malaysia has 40% more doctors per person than the median country
Malaysia: 2.3 per 1,000 (2023) · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
The median country has 23% more hospital beds per person than Malaysia
Malaysia: 2 per 1,000 (2023) · World median: 2.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in the median country is 2 times that in Malaysia
Malaysia: 5 per 100k (2023) · World median: 10 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
The median country and Malaysia are practically level
Malaysia: 23.6% (2024) · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
19% of adults in the median country smoke, versus 17% in Malaysia
Malaysia: 16.9% (2024) · World median: 19% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Malaysia rate their lives 0.17 points higher than in the median country
Malaysia: 6.01 (2025) · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the median country drink 5.4 times as much alcohol as in Malaysia
Malaysia: 0.8 litres (2023) · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Malaysia has 23% more meat per person than the median country
Malaysia: 69.1 kg (2023) · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The median country and Malaysia are practically level
Malaysia: 2,927 kcal (2023) · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Malaysia put in 333 more hours a year than in the median country
Malaysia: 2,308 hours (2023) · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Malaysia went to school 1.2 years longer than in the median country
Malaysia: 11.1 years (2023) · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The median country welcomed 19% more tourists per resident than Malaysia (2019)
Malaysia: 0.29 (2022) · World median: 0.34 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
Malaysia has 3 more World Heritage sites than the median country (6 against 3)
Malaysia: 6 (2026) · World median: 3 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Malaysia has won 15 Olympic medals, the median country 4
Malaysia: 15 (2026 edition) · World median: 4 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in Malaysia are online, versus 82% in the median country
Malaysia: 98% (2024) · World median: 82% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Malaysia is 67% faster than in the median country
Malaysia: 269 Mbps (2026) · World median: 161 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Malaysia and the median country are practically level
Malaysia: 100% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
77% of people in Malaysia live in cities, versus 64% in the median country
Malaysia: 77% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Malaysia has 140 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the median country 115
Malaysia: 140 (2024) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The median country’s railway network is 29% longer than Malaysia’s
Malaysia: 1,655 km (2021) · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Malaysia fly 5.4 times as many passengers per resident as those from the median country
Malaysia: 1.3 (2023) · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 58% of Malaysia, but only 33% of the median country
Malaysia: 57.7% (2024) · World median: 32.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Malaysia emits 2.7 times as much CO₂ as someone in the median country
Malaysia: 8.2 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
31% of the median country’s electricity is renewable, versus 21% in Malaysia
Malaysia: 20.7% (2025) · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the median country carries 8% more fine dust than in Malaysia
Malaysia: 15.3 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 3.1 times as likely to be murdered in the median country as in Malaysia
Malaysia: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the median country are 15% deadlier than in Malaysia
Malaysia: 16.2 per 100k (2023) · World median: 18.6 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Malaysia is on average 3.0 °C warmer than the median country
Malaysia: 26°C (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Malaysia gets 3 times as much rain as the median country
Malaysia: 3,081 mm (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Malaysia bigger than the median country?
Malaysia is larger. The median country fits inside Malaysia 3 times.
Which has more people, Malaysia or the median country?
Malaysia has 4.9 times as many people as the median country (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Malaysia or the median country?
People in Malaysia live 2.2 years longer than in the median country. Life expectancy at birth is 76.8 years in Malaysia and 74.6 in the median country.
Are people taller in Malaysia or the median country?
Men in the median country are 4.3 cm taller than in Malaysia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
