Japan vs Malaysia

Japan vs Malaysia: GDP growth

GDP growth in 2025: 1.2% a year in Japan and 5.2% a year in Malaysia, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Malaysia, by 4 percentage points, or 4.44 times that in Japan.

Watch it change on the map

% a year · IMF

Japan vs Malaysia: GDP growthGDP growth in 2025: 1.2% a year in Japan and 5.2% a year in Malaysia, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Malaysia, by 4 percentage points, or 4.44 times that in Japan.
JapanMalaysiaIMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026)

What the numbers say

  • Malaysia has been higher since 2022, when it overtook Japan.
  • In 2025, Japan ranked 118 and Malaysia ranked 29 of 143 countries, counting from the highest.
  • The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Japan at 0.6% a year and Malaysia at 4.3% a year in 2031.

Every year

% a year · IMF

YearJapanMalaysia
20251.25.2
20240.15.2
20230.93.6
20221.29
20213.63.3
2020-4.3-5.5
2019-0.34.4
20180.84.8
20171.65.8
20160.74.5
20151.85
20140.96
201324.7
20121.65.5
2011-0.25.3
20104.17.5
2009-5.9-1.5
2008-1.24.8
20071.76.3
20061.55.6
20051.85
20042.16.8
20031.45.8
20020.15.4
20010.30.5
200038.7
1999-0.36.1
1998-1.8-7.4
19971.47.3
19963.110
19952.39.8
19940.99.2
1993-0.59.9
19920.98.9
19913.59.5
19904.89
19894.99.1
19886.79.9
19874.65.4
19863.31.2
19855.2-0.9
19844.47.8
19833.66.3
19823.35.9
19814.36.9
19803.27.4
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
YearJapanMalaysia
20260.85.2
20270.74.6
20280.64.3
20290.64.3
20300.64.3
20310.64.3

Each country on its own

Good to know

  • How much the economy grew or shrank in a year, after inflation.
  • Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook, October 2026.
  • The dashed line is the IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026), a scenario rather than a forecast.
  • Ranks count the 143 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.

How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time

Japan vs Malaysia

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