Malaysia vs Sri Lanka: Compare Statistics
Side-by-side comparison of 180 key metrics across economy, population, geography, and more ā latest data through 2026.
Summary
Malaysia has 56% more people than Sri Lanka (36.4 million vs 23.36 million). Malaysia's economy is 4.9 times the size of Sri Lanka's ($466.53 billion vs $95.71 billion GDP).
Comparing Malaysia and Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka leads on Major Urban Areas Population (103,000 people) against Malaysia (8.62 people); Malaysia leads on Oil Production (664,800) against Sri Lanka (637); Malaysia leads on Urban Population Annual Growth Rate (1.79 %) against Sri Lanka (0.01 %). Across 180 compared metrics, Malaysia wins on 113 and Sri Lanka wins on 56.
- Communications: 9 metrics compared
- Economy: 68 metrics compared
- Environment: 12 metrics compared
- Geography: 7 metrics compared
- Government: 10 metrics compared
- Health: 24 metrics compared
- Military and Security: 3 metrics compared
- People and Society: 41 metrics compared
- Transportation: 4 metrics compared
- Travel and Tourism: 1 metric compared
- Other: 1 metric compared
Communications
9 metrics| Metric | š²š¾ Malaysia | š±š° Sri Lanka | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed Broadband Penetration | 13.55 subscriptions per 100 inhabitantsā | 8.47 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants | |
| Internet Penetration Rate (%) | 98.02 %ā | 54.59 % | |
| Internet Usage Rate by Country (% of Population) | 97.69 %ā | 51.2 % | |
| Internet Users | percent of population: 98% (2023 est.) | percent of population: 51% (2023 est.) | |
| Mobile Internet Speed | 13.55 Mbpsā | 8.47 Mbps | |
| Press Freedom Index Score | 56.09 pointsā | 39.93 points | |
| Radios | 10.9ā | 3.85 | |
| Televisions | 10.8ā | 1.53 | |
| Waterways | 7,200ā | 160 |
Economy
68 metricsEnvironment
12 metrics| Metric | š²š¾ Malaysia | š±š° Sri Lanka | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual COā Emissions Growth (abs) | 13.93M | 1.66Mā | |
| Annual Forest Area Change Rate | -60,000 % | -4,943.99 %ā | |
| Average Annual Temperature | 25.87 Ā°C | 26.93 Ā°Cā | |
| Carbon Dioxide Emissions | 260.01 | 19.15ā | |
| Continental Shelf | 200 | edge of continental margin or 200 nm; | |
| Global Precipitation Distribution | 3,150.09 mmā | 2,057.11 mm | |
| Population Distribution | a highly uneven distribution, with over 80% of the population residing on the Malay Peninsula | the population is primarily concentrated within a broad wet zone in the southwest, urban centers along the eastern coast, and on the Jaffna Peninsula in the north | |
| Protected Land Area for Adaptation | 13.3 sq km | 30.67 sq kmā | |
| Protected Land Area Percentage | 13.3 % | 30.8 %ā | |
| Total Renewable Groundwater Resources by Country | 64 Cubic meters per yearā | 7.8 Cubic meters per year | |
| Total Renewable Water Resources | 580ā | 52.8 | |
| Total Threatened Mammal Species | 80 species | 30 speciesā |
Geography
7 metrics| Metric | š²š¾ Malaysia | š±š° Sri Lanka | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage of land area by degree of urbanization | 4.11 % | 25.97 %ā | |
| Above-Ground Biomass in Forest (tonnes/ha) | 209.87ā | 79.16 | |
| Agricultural land | 85,710 sq. kmā | 28,125.72 sq. km | |
| Airports per 1,000 Sq Km | 328,550ā | 61,860 | |
| Coastline Length (km) | 4,675 kmā | 1,340 km | |
| Dam capacity per capita | 611.58 cubic meters per inhabitantā | 253.3 cubic meters per inhabitant | |
| Irrigated Land | 4,420 | 5,700ā |
Government
10 metrics| Metric | š²š¾ Malaysia | š±š° Sri Lanka | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rule of Law Index by Country | 67.87 %ā | 48.13 % | |
| Administrative Divisions | 13ā | 9 | |
| Corruption Perception Index | 50 index | 32 indexā | |
| Corruption Perceptions Index Score | 50 indexā | 32 index | |
| Independence | 31ā | 4 | |
| LGBT Rights Index Score | -2.46 | -0.39ā | |
| Political Stability Index | 51 indexā | 26 index | |
| Prison Population Rate | 206 per 100,000 | 121 per 100,000ā | |
| Public Sector Corruption Perception | 50 | 32ā | |
| Suffrage Participation Rate | 18 | 18 |
Health
24 metricsMilitary and Security
3 metrics| Metric | š²š¾ Malaysia | š±š° Sri Lanka | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active Military Personnel | 113,000 personnel | 255,000 personnelā | |
| Military Expenditure (% of GDP) | 1.04 %ā | 1.31 % | |
| Total Armed Forces Personnel (PPP) | 136,000 | 317,000ā |
People and Society
41 metrics| Metric | š²š¾ Malaysia | š±š° Sri Lanka | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Currently married (Percent) | 58.88 % | 65.51 %ā | |
| Human Capital Index | 0.65ā | 0.61 | |
| Life expectancy at birth | 80.87 years | 81.36 yearsā | |
| Median age of population | 31.44 years | 33.59 yearsā | |
| Population Change | 428,622.9 personsā | 123,325.9 persons | |
| Population density | 110.8 per sq. kmā | 372.63 per sq. km | |
| Total population | 36.40M personsā | 23.36M persons | |
| Academic Freedom Index | 0.29 | 0.83ā | |
| Average Female Breast Size by Country: Worldwide Data & Rankings | AA | AA | |
| Beer Consumption per Capita | 0.51 litersā | 0.5 liters | |
| Birth Rate (%) | 14.05 % | 14.38 %ā | |
| Contraceptive Prevalence Rate | 52.2 % | 64.6 %ā | |
| Crude Birth Rate | 12.36 per 1,000 peopleā | 10.1 per 1,000 people | |
| Death Rate (%) | 5.8 %ā | 7.65 % | |
| Education Expenditure (% of GDP) | 3.5 % of GDPā | 1.8 % of GDP | |
| Female population of reproductive age | 9.69M personsā | 5.84M persons | |
| Female Tertiary Enrollment Rate (%) | 44.3 %ā | 26.05 % | |
| Fixed Broadband Penetration Rate | 13.55 %ā | 8.47 % | |
| Global Average Sex Ratio at Birth | 106.37 male/femaleā | 104.26 male/female | |
| Human Development Index | 0.48 | 0.5ā | |
| Labor Force Participation Rate | 18.26ā | 8.5 | |
| Learning-adjusted years of school | 9.72 yearsā | 8.78 years | |
| Length of paid parental leave for mother | 0 days | 0 days | |
| Major Urban Areas Population | 8.62 people | 103,000 peopleā | |
| Mean Male Height (cm) | 167.88ā | 165.69 | |
| Mean Years of Schooling | 11.96 yearsā | 10.33 years | |
| Military Manpower at Military Age | 21ā | 18 | |
| Military Service Age and Obligation | 17 | generally 18-24 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women, although upper age limits may vary by branch of service, roles, specialties, etc; no conscription (2026) | |
| Old-Age Dependency Ratio | 10.6 %ā | 17.81 % | |
| Percentage of population by degree of urbanization | 83.21 % | 85.46 %ā | |
| Physician Density | 2.34 people/sq kmā | 1.14 people/sq km | |
| Population Growth Rate | 0.97 %ā | 0.22 % | |
| Population living in slums | 0.2 % | 43.64 %ā | |
| Primary School Pupil-Teacher Ratio | 11.66ā | 22.93 | |
| Total deaths | 179,998.3 persons | 163,254.1 personsā | |
| Total demand for family planning (Percent) | 42.17 % | 50.6 %ā | |
| Total fertility rate | 1.53 per woman | 1.93 per womanā | |
| Total net-migration | 162,673.4 personsā | -29,226 persons | |
| Under-five mortality rate | 5.53 per live birthsā | 5.8 per live births | |
| Urban Population Annual Growth Rate | 1.79 %ā | 0.01 % | |
| Voting Age Population | 52.24 millions | 70.78 millionsā |
Transportation
4 metrics| Metric | š²š¾ Malaysia | š±š° Sri Lanka | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Travel Trips Per Capita (PPP) | 1.58ā | 0.2 | |
| Airports | 100ā | 18 | |
| Civil Air Travel | 53ā | 8 | |
| Heliports | 24ā | 1 |
Travel and Tourism
1 metric| Metric | š²š¾ Malaysia | š±š° Sri Lanka | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tourism Receipts per Capita | 17.90B USDā | 2.37B USD |
Other
1 metric| Metric | š²š¾ Malaysia | š±š° Sri Lanka | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current Bank Rate | 2.75 % | 7.75 %ā |
Frequently Asked Questions About Malaysia vs Sri Lanka
Which has a larger population, Malaysia or Sri Lanka?ā¾
Malaysia. Malaysia has 56% more people than Sri Lanka (36.4 million vs 23.36 million). Data for 2026.
Which has a bigger economy, Malaysia or Sri Lanka?ā¾
Malaysia. Malaysia's economy is 4.9 times the size of Sri Lanka's ($466.53 billion vs $95.71 billion GDP). Data for 2026.
Which is richer per person, Malaysia or Sri Lanka?ā¾
Malaysia is richer per person: GDP per capita is about $12,818 in Malaysia vs $4,098 in Sri Lanka (2026 GDP in current US dollars divided by population).