Southeast Asia

Malaysia

Southeastern Asia, peninsula bordering Thailand and northern one-third of the island of Borneo, bordering Indonesia, Brunei, and the South China Sea, south of Vietnam.

Muslim population63.5%of the population

Population34.4 millionpeople (current)

CapitalKuala LumpurUTC+8

Currency4.58 = $1Ringgits (MYR) (2024)

Country basics

Malaysia is a Southeast Asian federation split between the Malay Peninsula and northern Borneo.

Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy with Kuala Lumpur as its capital and Malay as its official language. The ringgit is the currency, and electronics, palm oil, petroleum products and natural gas make up most of its export earnings.

Official name

Malaysia

Region

Asia · South-Eastern Asia

Government

Federal parliamentary constitutional elective monarchy

Time zonesCheck the offset for your own city

UTC+08:00

Driving side

Left

Phone code

+60

Currency

Malaysian ringgit (MYR, RM)

Member of

Commonwealth; UN; ASEAN

Website

https://www.malaysia.gov.my

Faith and language

Religions

Muslim (official) 63.5%, Buddhist 18.7%, Christian 9.1%, Hindu 6.1%, other (Confucianism, Taoism, other traditional Chinese religions) 0.9%, none/unspecified 1.8%

Languages

English; Malay

People and cities

Population

34.4 million (current)

Median ageHalf the population is younger than this

32.2 years (2025)

Living in cities

78.7% (2023)

Largest cities

Kuala Lumpur (capital) 8.622 million · Johor Bahru 1.086 million · Ipoh 857,000

Money and cost of living

Exchange rateYearly average; check today’s rate before you budget

4.58 ringgits (MYR) per US dollar (2024)

Income per personGDP per person, adjusted for local prices (2021 dollars)

$34,100 (2024)

InflationHow much prices rose over the year

1.8% (2024)

Unemployment

3.9% (2024)

Spent on foodShare of an average household’s spending

26.4% (2023)

Health and daily life

Life expectancy

76.6 years (2024)

Doctors

2.34 per 1,000 people (2023)

Hospital beds

2 per 1,000 people (2021)

Safe drinking water

97.2% of people (2022)

Electricity

100% of people (2022)

Internet users

98% of people (2023)

Literacy

95.8% of adults (2022)

Land and climate

Climate

Tropical; annual southwest (April to October) and northeast (October to February) monsoons

SizeSlightly larger than New Mexico

330,803 sq km

Natural hazards

Flooding; landslides; forest fires

National holiday

Independence Day (or Merdeka Day), 31 August (1957) (independence of Malaya); Malaysia Day, 16 September (1963) (formation of Malaysia)