Compare
Malaysia vs Papua New Guinea
How Malaysia and Papua New Guinea compare on 37 measures, from 1820 to 2025. The main differences:
- Life expectancy · In 2023, Malaysia was higher: 76.7 years against 66.1 years
- GDP per person · In 2025, Malaysia was higher: $12,350 against $2,665
- Population · In 2023, Malaysia was higher: 35.1 million people against 10.4 million people
- Military spending · In 2025, Malaysia was higher: 1.04% of GDP against 0.35% of GDP
- CO₂ per person · In 2024, Malaysia was higher: 8.32 tonnes against 0.52 tonnes
- Life expectancyMalaysia: 76.7 years in 2023Papua New Guinea: 66.1 years in 2023
- PopulationMalaysia: 35.1 million people in 2023Papua New Guinea: 10.4 million people in 2023
- GDP per personMalaysia: $12,350 in 2025Papua New Guinea: $2,665 in 2025
- TemperatureMalaysia: 25.9 °C in 2025Papua New Guinea: 24.1 °C in 2025
Every measure
Health
- Life expectancyMalaysia: 76.7 years in 2023Papua New Guinea: 66.1 years in 2023
- Child mortalityMalaysia: 0.8 per 100 live births in 2024Papua New Guinea: 3.9 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityMalaysia: 6.4 per 1,000 live births in 2023Papua New Guinea: 32.2 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionMalaysia: 3.52% in 2017Papua New Guinea: 3.17% in 2017
- Suicide rateMalaysia: 7.8 per 100,000 people in 2017Papua New Guinea: 23.1 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationMalaysia: 35.1 million people in 2023Papua New Guinea: 10.4 million people in 2023
- Population growthMalaysia: 1.24% a year in 2023Papua New Guinea: 1.8% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateMalaysia: 1.55 births per woman in 2023Papua New Guinea: 3.1 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationMalaysia: 77.4% in 2025Papua New Guinea: 15.8% in 2025
- Median ageMalaysia: 30.1 years in 2023Papua New Guinea: 22.3 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overMalaysia: 7.5% in 2023Papua New Guinea: 3.3% in 2023
- Net migration rateMalaysia: 5.2 per 1,000 people in 2023Papua New Guinea: -0.1 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
- GDP per personMalaysia: $12,350 in 2025Papua New Guinea: $2,665 in 2025
- GDP growthMalaysia: 5.2% a year in 2025Papua New Guinea: 3.9% a year in 2024
- InflationMalaysia: 1.4% a year in 2025Papua New Guinea: 4.4% a year in 2025
- Government debtMalaysia: 70.5% of GDP in 2025Papua New Guinea: 51.6% of GDP in 2025
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingMalaysia: 1.04% of GDP in 2025Papua New Guinea: 0.35% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsMalaysia: $4.55B in 2025Papua New Guinea: $110M in 2025
- Military spending per personMalaysia: $138 in 2025Papua New Guinea: $10 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingMalaysia: 4.4% of government spending in 2025Papua New Guinea: 1.6% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelMalaysia: 136,000 people in 2020Papua New Guinea: 4,000 people in 2020
- National powerMalaysia: 0.46% of world capability in 2022Papua New Guinea: 0.03% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersMalaysia: 0.81% of the labour force in 2020Papua New Guinea: 0.12% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsMalaysia: 7 million TIV in 2024Papua New Guinea: 9 million TIV in 2023
Climate
Technology and environment
Each country on its own
Good to know
- Sources: UN, Gapminder and UN IGME, IHME, World Bank, IMF, UNESCO, Our World in Data, V-Dem, UCDP, SIPRI, IISS, Correlates of War, ERA5, CMIP6, EDGAR, ITU and FAO. Each measure’s page names its own and what it counts.
- Values are drawn on today’s borders. Years without a published value are left empty, never filled in.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time