Afghanistan vs Malaysia: Compare Statistics
Side-by-side comparison of 168 key metrics across economy, population, geography, and more ā latest data through 2026.
Summary
Afghanistan has 24% more people than Malaysia (45.04 million vs 36.4 million). Malaysia's economy is 37.2 times the size of Afghanistan's ($466.53 billion vs $12.56 billion GDP).
Comparing Afghanistan and Malaysia: Afghanistan leads on Electricity Installed Capacity (634,100) against Malaysia (33); Afghanistan leads on Radios (167,000) against Malaysia (10.90); Afghanistan leads on Televisions (100,000) against Malaysia (10.80). Across 168 compared metrics, Afghanistan wins on 52 and Malaysia wins on 105.
- Communications: 9 metrics compared
- Economy: 60 metrics compared
- Environment: 11 metrics compared
- Geography: 6 metrics compared
- Government: 9 metrics compared
- Health: 22 metrics compared
- Military and Security: 3 metrics compared
- People and Society: 41 metrics compared
- Transportation: 5 metrics compared
- Travel and Tourism: 1 metric compared
- Other: 1 metric compared
Communications
9 metrics| Metric | š¦š« Afghanistan | š²š¾ Malaysia | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed Broadband Penetration | 0.08 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants | 13.03 subscriptions per 100 inhabitantsā | |
| Internet Penetration Rate (%) | 16.09 % | 98.02 %ā | |
| Internet Usage Rate by Country (% of Population) | 17.71 % | 97.69 %ā | |
| Internet Users | percent of population: 18% (2023 est.) | percent of population: 98% (2023 est.) | |
| Mobile Internet Speed | 0.08 Mbps | 13.03 Mbpsā | |
| Press Freedom Index Score | 17.88 points | 56.09 pointsā | |
| Radios | 167,000ā | 10.9 | |
| Televisions | 100,000ā | 10.8 | |
| Waterways | 1,200 | 7,200ā |
Economy
60 metricsEnvironment
11 metrics| Metric | š¦š« Afghanistan | š²š¾ Malaysia | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual COā Emissions Growth (abs) | 309,679ā | 13.93M | |
| Annual Forest Area Change Rate | 0 %ā | -60,000 % | |
| Average Annual Temperature | 13.8 Ā°C | 25.87 Ā°Cā | |
| Carbon Dioxide Emissions | 7.76ā | 260.01 | |
| Global Precipitation Distribution | 266.24 mm | 3,150.09 mmā | |
| Population Distribution | populations tend to cluster in the foothills and periphery of the rugged Hindu Kush range; smaller groups are found in many of the country's interior valleys; in general, the east is more densely settled, while the south is sparsely populated | a highly uneven distribution, with over 80% of the population residing on the Malay Peninsula | |
| Protected Land Area for Adaptation | 3.6 sq km | 13.3 sq kmā | |
| Protected Land Area Percentage | 3.6 % | 13.3 %ā | |
| Total Renewable Groundwater Resources by Country | 10.65 Cubic meters per year | 64 Cubic meters per yearā | |
| Total Renewable Water Resources | 65.33 | 580ā | |
| Total Threatened Mammal Species | 12 speciesā | 80 species |
Geography
6 metrics| Metric | š¦š« Afghanistan | š²š¾ Malaysia | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage of land area by degree of urbanization | 2.35 % | 4.11 %ā | |
| Agricultural land | 387,372 sq. kmā | 85,710 sq. km | |
| Airports per 1,000 Sq Km | 652,230ā | 328,550 | |
| Coastline Length (km) | 0 km | 4,675 kmā | |
| Dam capacity per capita | 43.87 cubic meters per inhabitant | 611.58 cubic meters per inhabitantā | |
| Irrigated Land | 24,930ā | 4,420 |
Government
9 metrics| Metric | š¦š« Afghanistan | š²š¾ Malaysia | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rule of Law Index by Country | 6.1 % | 67.87 %ā | |
| Administrative Divisions | 34ā | 13 | |
| Corruption Perception Index | 17 indexā | 50 index | |
| Corruption Perceptions Index Score | 17 index | 50 indexā | |
| Independence | 19 | 31ā | |
| LGBT Rights Index Score | -2.21ā | -2.46 | |
| Prison Population Rate | 62 per 100,000ā | 206 per 100,000 | |
| Public Sector Corruption Perception | 17ā | 50 | |
| Suffrage Participation Rate | 18 | 18 |
Health
22 metricsMilitary and Security
3 metrics| Metric | š¦š« Afghanistan | š²š¾ Malaysia | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active Military Personnel | 100,000 personnel | 113,000 personnelā | |
| Military Expenditure (% of GDP) | 1.83 % | 0.98 %ā | |
| Total Armed Forces Personnel (PPP) | 165,000ā | 136,000 |
People and Society
41 metrics| Metric | š¦š« Afghanistan | š²š¾ Malaysia | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Currently married (Percent) | 65.73 %ā | 58.88 % | |
| Human Capital Index | 0.42 | 0.65ā | |
| Life expectancy at birth | 69.52 years | 80.87 yearsā | |
| Median age of population | 17.46 years | 31.44 yearsā | |
| Population Change | 1.50M personsā | 428,622.9 persons | |
| Population density | 68.74 per sq. kmā | 110.8 per sq. km | |
| Total population | 45.04M personsā | 36.40M persons | |
| Academic Freedom Index | 0.09 | 0.29ā | |
| Average Female Breast Size by Country: Worldwide Data & Rankings | A | AAā | |
| Beer Consumption per Capita | 0 liters | 0.51 litersā | |
| Birth Rate (%) | 35.99 %ā | 14.05 % | |
| Contraceptive Prevalence Rate | 18.9 % | 52.2 %ā | |
| Crude Birth Rate | 35.01 per 1,000 peopleā | 12.36 per 1,000 people | |
| Death Rate (%) | 5.79 %ā | 5.8 % | |
| Education Expenditure (% of GDP) | 4.3 % of GDPā | 3.5 % of GDP | |
| Female population of reproductive age | 10.79M personsā | 9.69M persons | |
| Female Tertiary Enrollment Rate (%) | 5.94 % | 47.28 %ā | |
| Fixed Broadband Penetration Rate | 0.08 % | 13.03 %ā | |
| Global Average Sex Ratio at Birth | 104.53 male/female | 106.37 male/femaleā | |
| Human Development Index | 0.18 | 0.48ā | |
| Labor Force Participation Rate | 9.13 | 18.26ā | |
| Learning-adjusted years of school | 5.41 years | 9.72 yearsā | |
| Length of paid parental leave for mother | 0 days | 0 days | |
| Major Urban Areas Population | 4.59 people | 8.62 peopleā | |
| Mean Male Height (cm) | 165.26 | 167.88ā | |
| Mean Years of Schooling | 5.69 years | 11.96 yearsā | |
| Military Manpower at Military Age | 22ā | 21 | |
| Military Service Age and Obligation | service is voluntary; there is no conscription (2023) note: the Taliban dismissed nearly all women from the former Afghan National Defense and Security Forces, except those serving in detention facilities and assisting with body searches | 17 | |
| Old-Age Dependency Ratio | 4.37 %ā | 10.6 % | |
| Percentage of population by degree of urbanization | 82.81 % | 83.21 %ā | |
| Physician Density | 0.32 people/sq km | 2.34 people/sq kmā | |
| Population Growth Rate | 2.86 %ā | 0.97 % | |
| Population living in slums | 74.25 %ā | 0.2 % | |
| Primary School Pupil-Teacher Ratio | 47.98 | 11.66ā | |
| Total deaths | 213,986.9 persons | 179,998.3 personsā | |
| Total demand for family planning (Percent) | 36.45 % | 42.17 %ā | |
| Total fertility rate | 4.57 per womanā | 1.53 per woman | |
| Total net-migration | 192,894.5 personsā | 162,673.4 persons | |
| Under-five mortality rate | 50.42 per live births | 5.53 per live birthsā | |
| Urban Population Annual Growth Rate | 3.69 %ā | 1.79 % | |
| Voting Age Population | 21.81 millions | 62.14 millionsā |
Transportation
5 metrics| Metric | š¦š« Afghanistan | š²š¾ Malaysia | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Travel Trips Per Capita (PPP) | 0.04 | 1.58ā | |
| Airports | 68 | 100ā | |
| Annual Human Space Visits (Total) | 0 | 0 | |
| Civil Air Travel | 2 | 53ā | |
| Heliports | 8 | 24ā |
Travel and Tourism
1 metric| Metric | š¦š« Afghanistan | š²š¾ Malaysia | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tourism Receipts per Capita | 74.83M USD | 3.37B USDā |
Other
1 metric| Metric | š¦š« Afghanistan | š²š¾ Malaysia | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current Bank Rate | 7.5 %ā | 2.75 % |
Frequently Asked Questions About Afghanistan vs Malaysia
Which has a larger population, Afghanistan or Malaysia?ā¾
Afghanistan. Afghanistan has 24% more people than Malaysia (45.04 million vs 36.4 million). Data for 2026.
Which has a bigger economy, Afghanistan or Malaysia?ā¾
Malaysia. Malaysia's economy is 37.2 times the size of Afghanistan's ($466.53 billion vs $12.56 billion GDP). Data for 2026.
Which is richer per person, Afghanistan or Malaysia?ā¾
Malaysia is richer per person: GDP per capita is about $12,818 in Malaysia vs $278.78 in Afghanistan (2026 GDP in current US dollars divided by population).