🇲🇾 Malaysia vs 🇹🇭 Thailand
35 indicators below, published by both countries and set side by side. They differ most on unemployment rate, where Malaysia’s figure is 4.8× higher.
Side by Side
Each bar is scaled against the larger of the two values, so the gap is visible rather than only stated.
Bars compare magnitude only. A larger value is not a better one — several of these indicators have no better direction, and for others the lower figure is the favourable one.
Every Shared Indicator
35 indicators published for both countries. Bold marks the larger of the two values — larger is not always better. Ranks are out of the countries that report each indicator.
| Indicator | Malaysia | Thailand | Malaysia vs Thailand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 35,977,83845th of 240 | 71,619,86320th of 240 | 50% lower |
| Annual Growth Rate | +1.18%96th of 240 | −0.07%196th of 240 | 1.24 points apart |
| Population Density/km² | 107/km²106th of 240 | 140/km²91st of 240 | 24% lower |
| Land Areakm² | 328,550 km²66th of 240 | 510,890 km²50th of 240 | 36% lower |
| Urban Population | 77.4%81st of 240 | 62.8%133rd of 240 | 23% higher |
| GDP per Capita | $13,125111th of 240 | $8,057134th of 240 | 1.6× higher |
| GDP Growth | +5.2%47th of 210 | +2.4%131st of 210 | 2.1× higher |
| Life Expectancyyears | 76.8 years102nd of 240 | 76.6 years106th of 240 | 0% higher |
| Fertility Ratebirths per woman | 1.54 births per woman162nd of 240 | 1.20 births per woman219th of 240 | 28% higher |
| Birth Rateper 1,000 | 12.4 per 1,000114th of 213 | 8.1 per 1,000184th of 213 | 52% higher |
| Death Rateper 1,000 | 5.3 per 1,000182nd of 213 | 9.0 per 1,00057th of 213 | 42% lower |
| Infant Mortalityper 1,000 live births | 7.0 per 1,000 live births59th of 194 | 7.7 per 1,000 live births66th of 194 | 9% lower |
| Unemployment Rate | 3.8%64th of 186 | 0.8%4th of 186 | 4.8× higher |
| Inflation Rate | 1.4%144th of 191 | -0.1%179th of 191 | 1.5 points apart |
| Poverty Rate | 5.1%6th of 164 | 5.4%7th of 164 | 6% lower |
| Gini Index | 40.7129th of 170 | 33.361st of 170 | 22% higher |
| Health Spendingof GDP | 4.0% of GDP155th of 192 | 4.5% of GDP136th of 192 | 13% lower |
| Physiciansper 1,000 | 2.34 per 1,00079th of 206 | 0.54 per 1,000149th of 206 | 4.3× higher |
| Hospital Bedsper 1,000 | 1.96 per 1,000113th of 199 | 2.39 per 1,00099th of 199 | 18% lower |
| Literacy Rate | 95.8%78th of 175 | 91.1%103rd of 175 | 5% higher |
| Education Spendingof GDP | 3.5% of GDP129th of 202 | 2.5% of GDP168th of 202 | 39% higher |
| School Enrollmentgross, secondary | 80.3% gross, secondary140th of 207 | 92.1% gross, secondary98th of 207 | 13% lower |
| Renewable Energyof final consumption | 7.5% of final consumption159th of 211 | 19.0% of final consumption110th of 211 | 2.5× lower |
| Forest Coverageof land area | 57.7% of land area31st of 211 | 38.7% of land area78th of 211 | 49% higher |
| Internet Penetration | 98.0%13th of 211 | 90.9%56th of 211 | 8% higher |
| Mobile Subscriptionsper 100 people | 139.7 per 100 people43rd of 212 | 160.6 per 100 people23rd of 212 | 13% lower |
| Maternal Mortalityper 100,000 live births | 26 per 100,000 live births76th of 193 | 34 per 100,000 live births82nd of 193 | 24% lower |
| Military Spendingof GDP | 0.99% of GDP120th of 163 | 1.08% of GDP114th of 163 | 8% lower |
| Protected Areasof land area | 13.3% of land area135th of 211 | 18.4% of land area98th of 211 | 28% lower |
| Median Ageyears | 31.0 years130th of 240 | 40.6 years58th of 240 | 24% lower |
| Mean Years of Schoolingyears | 12.0 years25th of 148 | 9.3 years79th of 148 | 28% higher |
| Human Development Index | 0.81966th of 192 | 0.79875th of 192 | 3% higher |
| Happiness Index/ 10 | 6.01/ 1073rd of 164 | 6.30/ 1053rd of 164 | 5% lower |
| CO₂ Emissionstonnes per capita | 8.16 tonnes per capita34th of 212 | 3.74 tonnes per capita91st of 212 | 2.2× higher |
| Obesity Rate | 23.6%103rd of 198 | 15.5%143rd of 198 | 52% higher |
Values are each country’s most recent published observation, so the two sides of a row may be from different years — the country pages show the year for each. Bold marks the larger of the two, which is not always the better one.
Population, 1950–2100
Observed to 2024, then the UN medium-variant projection.
| Series | Year | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Malaysia | 1950 | 6.1M |
| Malaysia | 1975 | 11.5M |
| Malaysia | 2000 | 23M |
| Malaysia | 2025 | 36M |
| Malaysia | 2050 | 44.3M |
| Malaysia | 2075 | 46.4M |
| Malaysia | 2100 | 44M |
| Thailand | 1950 | 20.4M |
| Thailand | 1975 | 40.9M |
| Thailand | 2000 | 63M |
| Thailand | 2025 | 71.6M |
| Thailand | 2050 | 66.4M |
| Thailand | 2075 | 55.2M |
| Thailand | 2100 | 45.6M |
Reading This Comparison
Size is not the same as rate
Totals and per-capita measures answer different questions. A country can have a far larger economy and a far lower GDP per capita at the same time — both facts are in the table.
Mind the vintages
Each value is the latest available for that country, which is not always the same year on both sides. For indicators that move slowly this rarely matters; for inflation or GDP growth it can.