Compare
Malaysia vs Thailand
How Malaysia and Thailand compare on 38 measures, from 1789 to 2025. The main differences:
- Life expectancy · In 2023, Malaysia was higher: 76.7 years against 76.4 years
- GDP per person · In 2025, Malaysia was higher: $12,350 against $6,783
- Population · In 2023, Thailand was higher: 71.7 million people against 35.1 million people
- Military spending · In 2025, Thailand was higher: 1.04% of GDP against 1.04% of GDP
- CO₂ per person · In 2024, Malaysia was higher: 8.32 tonnes against 3.96 tonnes
Every measure
Health
- Life expectancyMalaysia: 76.7 years in 2023Thailand: 76.4 years in 2023
- Child mortalityMalaysia: 0.8 per 100 live births in 2024Thailand: 0.9 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityMalaysia: 6.4 per 1,000 live births in 2023Thailand: 6.2 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionMalaysia: 3.52% in 2017Thailand: 3.09% in 2017
- Suicide rateMalaysia: 7.8 per 100,000 people in 2017Thailand: 10.4 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationMalaysia: 35.1 million people in 2023Thailand: 71.7 million people in 2023
- Population growthMalaysia: 1.24% a year in 2023Thailand: -0.04% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateMalaysia: 1.55 births per woman in 2023Thailand: 1.21 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationMalaysia: 77.4% in 2025Thailand: 62.8% in 2025
- Median ageMalaysia: 30.1 years in 2023Thailand: 39.7 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overMalaysia: 7.5% in 2023Thailand: 14.7% in 2023
- Net migration rateMalaysia: 5.2 per 1,000 people in 2023Thailand: 0.3 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingMalaysia: 1.04% of GDP in 2025Thailand: 1.04% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsMalaysia: $4.55B in 2025Thailand: $5.57B in 2025
- Military spending per personMalaysia: $138 in 2025Thailand: $84 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingMalaysia: 4.4% of government spending in 2025Thailand: 4.4% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelMalaysia: 136,000 people in 2020Thailand: 455,000 people in 2020
- National powerMalaysia: 0.46% of world capability in 2022Thailand: 0.79% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersMalaysia: 0.81% of the labour force in 2020Thailand: 1.13% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsMalaysia: 7 million TIV in 2024Thailand: 33 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsMalaysia: 20 million TIV in 2024Thailand: 15 million TIV in 2024
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