Malaysia

Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

Surface (water)

Water Surface (in square kilometers)

Water Surface (in square miles)

Share of water (%)

Temperature

Average temperature (in Celcius)

Average temperature (in Farenheit)

Average high temperature (in Celcius)

Average high temperature (in Farenheit)

Average low temperature (in Celcius)

Average low temperature (in Farenheit)

Rainfall

Average rainfall (mm)

Average rainfall (inch)

Distance to other capitals (kilometers)

Distance to other capitals (miles)

Proximity

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Gross Domestic Product per capita

Amount of memberships (economic organizations)

Absolute earnings for every 1$

Relative earnings

GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

GDP in PPP per capita

Gross Domestic product (in million US$)

GDP per capita (in US$)

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

GDP per square mile(in US$)

Relative GDP in PPP

Population

Population density

Emigration

Immigration

Literacy

Health

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

Buddhism (share of the total population)

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

Other religions (share of the total population)

Non-religious (share of the total population)

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

In total, Malaysia spends US$3.8 billion, or 1.12 percent of its GDP on its military. This makes Malaysia the 47th highest military spender in the world and represents 0.19 percent of total global military expenditure.

The military of Malaysia, called the Malaysian Armed Forces consists of a Navy, an army and an air force. Its main task is to defend the Malaysian sovereignty and territorial integrity and to aid its civilians during natural disasters.

Military membership

It is also a member of five international military organizations which makes it the 78th most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Conference on Disarmament
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
International Atomic Energy Agency
Non-Aligned Movement

Military membership

International wars

Since its independence, Malaysia has partaken in four international wars. These are:

Malayan Emergency 1948-1960
Vietnam War 1955-1975
Brunei revolt 1961-1961
Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation 1963-1966

Number of international wars fought

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

Malaysia is a member of 13 international political organizations which makes it the 69th most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Member state of the United Nations
International Labour Organization
Asia Cooperation Dialogue
ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nations
Colombo Plan
Asian–African Legal Consultative Organization
Commonwealth of Nations
International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property
Organization of Islamic Cooperation

Interpol
Permanent Court of Arbitration
South Centre (organization)
World Organization for Animal Health

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

It is the 90th most democratic state in the world. This is mainly due to the fact that even though Malaysia holds fair elections every five years, the Malaysian government does not provide equal protection to all of its citizens.

Democracy/Dictatorship

The politics of Malaysia takes place in a parliamentary democracy with a constitutional monarchy where the king is head of state and the Prime Minister is head of government.

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If you want to know more about other states, click on the flag on the right to discover the Maldives.

Located on one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, Malaysia derives its name from the Malay Archipelago. The territory of Malaysia was occupied by several kingdoms throughout history until it was conquered by the Arabs in the 14th century. At the beginning of the 19th century, the Dutch and British established several trading posts within Malaysia and by 1826 it became a British protectorate. During the second world war, the territory of Malaysia was occupied by the Japanese forces but was reinstated as a British protectorate after the second world war. In 1957, Malaysia became fully independence from the British Empire. Later on, it was joined by Sabah and Sarawak as well as Singapore which later on became an independent state. After independence, Malaysia has become one of the most developed states of Asia.

Located within Southeast Asia, Malaysia is located on the continent of Asia as well as the archipelago of Indonesia. Its territory mainly consists of low-lying plains which are densely forested due to its location near the equator. Its continental part is connected with Thailand to the north and Singapore to the south while its external part is connected with Brunei to the north and Indonesia to the south.

It is the 67th largest state in the world with a total surface area of 332,457 square kilometers or 128,363 square miles. This makes Malaysia slightly smaller than Vietnam and slightly larger than Ivory Coast.

It is the 105th state with the highest amount of surface water which is nearly 1200 square kilometers or 462 square miles.

Below, a graph is shown which displays the absolute amount of water of each state in square kilometers and square miles.

Most of its water is in the form of rivers which are mainly used for its agriculture. Its tap water is derived from groundwater and is considered to be safe to drink.

Because of its location near the equator, Malaysia has a tropical climate. Malaysia is known to have two separate wet seasons and two dry seasons. On average, the temperature in Malaysia is 25.8 degrees Celsius or 78.4 degrees Fahrenheit which makes it the 46th warmest state in the world.

Its average high temperature is 30.2 degrees Celsius or 86.4 degrees Fahrenheit.

Its average low temperature is 22.2 degrees Celsius or 72 degrees Fahrenheit.

With 267 centimetres or 105 inches of rainfall per year, Malaysia is the 10th state with the highest amount of rainfall. Most of its rainfall occurs between October to March and from May to September.

The capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur is a home to 1.6 million people. The capital that is closest located to Kuala Lumpur is Singapore of Singapore with a distance of 290 kilometers or 180.2 miles. The capital that is furthest located from Kuala Lumpur is Quito Ecuador with a distance of 19,726 kilometers or 12,257 miles.

The economy of Malaysia has made great strides over the last 50 years. It went from an economy that was mainly focused on the export of raw materials and agricultural products to an economy that is focusing on the export of hydrocarbons and electronics. Currently, Malaysia has a mixed economy with centralized planning and private freedoms. In recent years, the government of Malaysia has become too reliant on the export of oil which has created an excess in government spending. However, there are some steps being made in order to become less dependent. Currently, most of its products are hydrocarbons and electronics which are mainly exported to China, Singapore and the United States which combined represent nearly 40 percent of all exports. Most of its imports comes from China which is solely responsible for more than 20 percent of all imports.

Malaysia is a member of 16 international economic organizations which makes it the 34th most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Alliance for Financial Inclusion
Asian Development Bank
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
Bank for International Settlements
Financial Action Task Force
International Monetary Fund
Islamic Development Bank
World Bank Group
World Customs Organization
World Trade Organization
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
International Bamboo and Rattan Organization

Indian Ocean Rim Association
International Renewable Energy Agency
Group of 15
Group of 77

With a GDP of more than US$345 billion, the economy of Malaysia is the 37th highest in the world and fourth largest in Asia.

Its GDP per surface area is the 66th highest in the world with just over US$1 million per square kilometer or US$2.7 million per square mile.

Its GDP per capita is the 65th highest in the world with US$10,694.

The absolute earnings (GDP per capita) reflect the average yearly income. The figure below shows how much, on average, an inhabitant of another state earns for every $1 earned by a citizen of this state.

Its purchasing power is the 121st highest in the world with US$10,605.

The relative Gross Domestic Product in Purchasing Power Parity compares the purchasing power of this state with that of the rest of the world. The graph on the left shows how much purchasing power of 1$ compared to the purchasing power of other states

Malaysia has a total population of 32.3 million people which makes it the 43rd most populous state in the world. Its official language is Malaysian, but more than 20 other languages exist within its border. The population of Malaysia is ethnically diverse. This is mainly due to the fact that Malaysia is located on a central point along shipping lanes. This has led to a large migration from people throughout Asia that migrated to Malaysia.

With a population density of 97 people per square kilometer or 251 people per square mile, Malaysia is the 90th most densely populated state in the world.

Emigration from Malaysia is estimated to be 5.1 percent of its population, or more than 1.6 million people. This makes Malaysia the 40th state with the highest number of emigrants and represents 0.67 percent of total global migration. Because a large portion of the population speaks English, the majority of migrants have migrated to developed English speaking states with Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States being the largest recipients of emigrants.

Immigration to Malaysia is represented by 9.8 percent of the population, or just over 3.2 million people. This makes Malaysia the 17th state with the highest number of immigrants which represents 1.28 percent of total global immigration. Malaysia has an open immigration policy for highly skilled labourers as well as wealthy seniors which are being used to enhance its economic output or to attract foreign currencies.

Education is free and compulsory for children between the ages of seven and 13. Due to the large investments as well as a wide reach of education to its population, Malaysia has a literacy rate of 94.4 percent which makes it the 101st most literate state in the world.

The Malaysian healthcare system is a mix between public and private healthcare providers and is considered to be of high standards. However, healthcare in rural areas has been limited which disproportionately affects the indigenous people of Malaysia. The leading cause of death Malaysia are noncommunicable diseases which are mainly the result of personal lifestyle choices as well as environmental factors such as air and water pollution. On average, the life expectancy is 76.7 years with women reaching 78.8 years and men reaching 74.7 years. This makes Malaysia and is 63rd state with the highest life expectancy.

Despite providing freedom of religion towards all religions, in practice its Islamic population is subjected to strict Islamic law and are punished by the government for any infringements on this law.

Christianity was introduced by European missionaries that were actively converting the Malaysian population and other states throughout southeast Asia. With 7.8 percent of the population, Christianity is the third largest religion in Malaysia. This makes Malaysia the 156th most Christian state in the world.

On the right, the global share of Christians per state is displayed

Islam is the largest religion in Malaysia and is represented by 62.9 percent of the population. This makes Malaysia the 43rd most Islamic state in the world. Islam was first introduced during the 14th century when Arab traders and conquerors roamed through southeast Asia. During the 15th century, Islam became the most dominant religion in Malaysia and has become the official state religion.

Buddhism is represented by 18.4 percent of the population. It arrived during the second century BC when Indian traders came in contact with the local people. Over the centuries, Buddhism became increasingly represented by migrants that arrived from China which currently represent more than 90 percent of all Buddhists in Malaysia.

Hinduism is represented by 6.1 percent of the population and arrived during the sixth century and has been increasing during the British colonial era when Indians arrived in Malaysia to work for sugar plantations. Since its independence, the number of Hindus has been declining due to religious infringement and persecution by the Malay government which have slowly been removing Hindu places of worship.

Judaism is represented by less than 0.03 percent of the population and have been present in Malaysia since the 11th century through Jewish traders. A large influx of Jews arrived after the communist takeover in China which led many Jews to flee from China. Since then, most Jews have migrated to Israel or Australia.

Other religions are mainly practiced by the Orang people and represents 1.67 percent of the total population. These beliefs are mainly focused on the worshiping of animals or features such as mountains and rivers.

Around 0.47 percent of the population does not adhere to any religion.