Compare
Malaysia vs South Korea
How Malaysia and South Korea compare on 39 measures, from 1789 to 2025. The main differences:
- Life expectancy · In 2023, South Korea was higher: 84.3 years against 76.7 years
- GDP per person · In 2025, South Korea was higher: $37,470 against $12,350
- Population · In 2023, South Korea was higher: 51.8 million people against 35.1 million people
- Military spending · In 2025, South Korea was higher: 2.6% of GDP against 1.04% of GDP
- CO₂ per person · In 2024, South Korea was higher: 11.36 tonnes against 8.32 tonnes
Every measure
Health
- Life expectancyMalaysia: 76.7 years in 2023South Korea: 84.3 years in 2023
- Child mortalityMalaysia: 0.8 per 100 live births in 2024South Korea: 0.3 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityMalaysia: 6.4 per 1,000 live births in 2023South Korea: 2.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterMalaysia: 93.9% in 2022South Korea: 99.3% in 2022
- DepressionMalaysia: 3.52% in 2017South Korea: 3.17% in 2017
- Suicide rateMalaysia: 7.8 per 100,000 people in 2017South Korea: 20.8 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationMalaysia: 35.1 million people in 2023South Korea: 51.8 million people in 2023
- Population growthMalaysia: 1.24% a year in 2023South Korea: -0.04% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateMalaysia: 1.55 births per woman in 2023South Korea: 0.72 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationMalaysia: 77.4% in 2025South Korea: 81.2% in 2025
- Median ageMalaysia: 30.1 years in 2023South Korea: 44.5 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overMalaysia: 7.5% in 2023South Korea: 18.3% in 2023
- Net migration rateMalaysia: 5.2 per 1,000 people in 2023South Korea: 1.7 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingMalaysia: 1.04% of GDP in 2025South Korea: 2.6% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsMalaysia: $4.55B in 2025South Korea: $48.9B in 2025
- Military spending per personMalaysia: $138 in 2025South Korea: $924 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingMalaysia: 4.4% of government spending in 2025South Korea: 10.8% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelMalaysia: 136,000 people in 2020South Korea: 569,000 people in 2020
- National powerMalaysia: 0.46% of world capability in 2022South Korea: 2% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersMalaysia: 0.81% of the labour force in 2020South Korea: 2.01% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsMalaysia: 7 million TIV in 2024South Korea: 222 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsMalaysia: 20 million TIV in 2024South Korea: 2.02 billion TIV in 2025
Climate
Technology and environment
Each country on its own
Good to know
- Sources: UN, Gapminder and UN IGME, WHO/UNICEF, 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