Malaysia vs Brunei — Country Comparison

Side-by-side comparison of Malaysia and Brunei across population, economy, quality of life, and more. Data updated 2026.

How do Malaysia and Brunei compare? Malaysia, located in East and Southeast Asia, has a population of 34.9M and covers an area of 329,847 km². Its GDP (PPP) stands at $1.2T with a GDP per capita of $34,100. Brunei, in East and Southeast Asia, has a population of 492K across 5,765 km², with a GDP of $36.6B and GDP per capita of $79,200. In terms of quality of life, Malaysia has a life expectancy of 76.6 years compared to Brunei's 78.9 years.

Demographics

IndicatorMalaysiaBrunei
Population34,905,275491,900
Birth Rate14.115.6
Death Rate5.84.0
Life Expectancy76.678.9
Literacy Rate95.8%-

Economy

IndicatorMalaysiaBrunei
GDP (PPP)$1.21T$36.64B
GDP per Capita$34,100$79,200
Unemployment3.9%5.2%
Inflation1.8%0.4%
Public Debt (% GDP)64.32.8

Geography

IndicatorMalaysiaBrunei
Area (km²)329,8475,765
Coastline (km)4,675161
Highest Elevation (m)4,0951,850

Military & Security

IndicatorMalaysiaBrunei
Military Spending (% GDP)1.00%3.00%
Military Personnel110,0007,000

Infrastructure

IndicatorMalaysiaBrunei
Internet Users98.0%99.0%
Electricity Consumption178,653,000,0005,081,000,000
Oil Production (bbl/day)582,00095,000
Malaysia
Brunei