Malaysia vs Thailand — Country Comparison

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

How do Malaysia and Thailand 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. Thailand, in East and Southeast Asia, has a population of 70.0M across 513,120 km², with a GDP of $1.6T and GDP per capita of $21,700. In terms of quality of life, Malaysia has a life expectancy of 76.6 years compared to Thailand's 78.2 years.

Demographics

IndicatorMalaysiaThailand
Population34,905,27570,025,248
Birth Rate14.19.8
Death Rate5.88.1
Life Expectancy76.678.2
Literacy Rate95.8%91.1%

Economy

IndicatorMalaysiaThailand
GDP (PPP)$1.21T$1.56T
GDP per Capita$34,100$21,700
Unemployment3.9%0.7%
Inflation1.8%1.4%
Public Debt (% GDP)64.361.1

Geography

IndicatorMalaysiaThailand
Area (km²)329,847513,120
Coastline (km)4,6753,219
Highest Elevation (m)4,0952,565

Military & Security

IndicatorMalaysiaThailand
Military Spending (% GDP)1.00%1.10%
Military Personnel110,000-

Infrastructure

IndicatorMalaysiaThailand
Internet Users98.0%90.0%
Electricity Consumption178,653,000,000215,281,000,000
Oil Production (bbl/day)582,000386,000
Malaysia
Thailand