Brunei vs Malaysia
Brunei vs Malaysia: National power
National power in 2022: 0.02% of world capability in Brunei and 0.46% of world capability in Malaysia, by Correlates of War estimates. In 2022 the value was higher in Malaysia, by 0.44 percentage points, or 21 times that in Brunei.
% of world capability · Correlates of War
What the numbers say
- Malaysia has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1984.
- In 2022, Brunei ranked 142 and Malaysia ranked 39 of 195 countries, counting from the highest.
Every year
% of world capability · Correlates of War
| Year | Brunei | Malaysia |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 0.02 | 0.46 |
| 2021 | 0.02 | 0.46 |
| 2020 | 0.02 | 0.46 |
| 2019 | 0.02 | 0.46 |
| 2018 | 0.02 | 0.44 |
| 2017 | 0.02 | 0.43 |
| 2016 | 0.01 | 0.43 |
| 2015 | 0.01 | 0.44 |
| 2014 | 0.02 | 0.45 |
| 2013 | 0.02 | 0.45 |
| 2012 | 0.02 | 0.45 |
| 2011 | 0.02 | 0.45 |
| 2010 | 0.02 | 0.44 |
| 2009 | 0.02 | 0.46 |
| 2008 | 0.02 | 0.48 |
| 2007 | 0.02 | 0.47 |
| 2006 | 0.02 | 0.46 |
| 2005 | 0.02 | 0.46 |
| 2004 | 0.02 | 0.46 |
| 2003 | 0.02 | 0.45 |
| 2002 | 0.02 | 0.44 |
| 2001 | 0.02 | 0.42 |
| 2000 | 0.02 | 0.38 |
| 1999 | 0.02 | 0.37 |
| 1998 | 0.02 | 0.34 |
| 1997 | 0.02 | 0.39 |
| 1996 | 0.02 | 0.41 |
| 1995 | 0.02 | 0.39 |
| 1994 | 0.01 | 0.35 |
| 1993 | 0.01 | 0.33 |
| 1992 | 0.02 | 0.32 |
| 1991 | 0.01 | 0.28 |
| 1990 | 0.01 | 0.26 |
| 1989 | 0.02 | 0.22 |
| 1988 | 0.01 | 0.22 |
| 1987 | 0.01 | 0.2 |
| 1986 | 0.01 | 0.21 |
| 1985 | 0.01 | 0.22 |
| 1984 | 0.01 | 0.22 |
| 1983 | – | 0.22 |
| 1982 | – | 0.21 |
| 1981 | – | 0.21 |
| 1980 | – | 0.21 |
| 1979 | – | 0.19 |
| 1978 | – | 0.18 |
| 1977 | – | 0.18 |
| 1976 | – | 0.18 |
| 1975 | – | 0.17 |
| 1974 | – | 0.16 |
| 1973 | – | 0.16 |
| 1972 | – | 0.16 |
| 1971 | – | 0.15 |
| 1970 | – | 0.14 |
| 1969 | – | 0.14 |
| 1968 | – | 0.14 |
| 1967 | – | 0.12 |
| 1966 | – | 0.12 |
| 1965 | – | 0.12 |
| 1964 | – | 0.17 |
| 1963 | – | 0.15 |
| 1962 | – | 0.18 |
| 1961 | – | 0.18 |
| 1960 | – | 0.15 |
| 1959 | – | 0.15 |
| 1958 | – | 0.15 |
| 1957 | – | 0.15 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- The Correlates of War’s Composite Index of National Capability: the country’s share of the world’s military spending, soldiers, iron and steel, energy use, people and city dwellers, averaged.
- Source: Correlates of War Project, National Material Capabilities v7.0; Singer, Bremer and Stuckey (1972), “Capability Distribution, Uncertainty, and Major Power War, 1820–1965”, in Bruce Russett (ed.), Peace, War, and Numbers, Sage, 19–48.
- Ranks count the 195 countries with a value in 2022, highest first.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Brunei vs Malaysia
Health
- Life expectancyBrunei: 75.3 years in 2023Malaysia: 76.7 years in 2023
- Child mortalityBrunei: 1 per 100 live births in 2024Malaysia: 0.8 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityBrunei: 8.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023Malaysia: 6.4 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionBrunei: 2.56% in 2017Malaysia: 3.52% in 2017
- Suicide rateBrunei: 6.2 per 100,000 people in 2017Malaysia: 7.8 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationBrunei: 458,900 people in 2023Malaysia: 35.1 million people in 2023
- Population growthBrunei: 0.84% a year in 2023Malaysia: 1.24% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateBrunei: 1.75 births per woman in 2023Malaysia: 1.55 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationBrunei: 75% in 2025Malaysia: 77.4% in 2025
- Median ageBrunei: 31.8 years in 2023Malaysia: 30.1 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overBrunei: 6.5% in 2023Malaysia: 7.5% in 2023
- Net migration rateBrunei: 0 per 1,000 people in 2023Malaysia: 5.2 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingBrunei: 3.65% of GDP in 2024Malaysia: 1.04% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsBrunei: $560M in 2024Malaysia: $4.55B in 2025
- Military spending per personBrunei: $1,216 in 2024Malaysia: $138 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingBrunei: 12.2% of government spending in 2024Malaysia: 4.4% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelBrunei: 8,000 people in 2020Malaysia: 136,000 people in 2020
- Armed forces, share of workersBrunei: 3.57% of the labour force in 2020Malaysia: 0.81% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsBrunei: 28 million TIV in 2024Malaysia: 7 million TIV in 2024
- Arms exportsBrunei: 12 million TIV in 2016Malaysia: 20 million TIV in 2024