CNY
…
MYR
…
Land Area
China
9,596,961 km²
Largest
Malaysia
329,847 km²
3.4% of largest
China is 29.10× larger than Malaysia
Population
China
LARGEST
1.41B
PEOPLE
Malaysia
2.6% OF LARGEST
35.98M
PEOPLE
China has 39.10× the population of Malaysia
GDP
China
LARGEST
$19.5T
Malaysia
2.4% OF LARGEST
$472.19B
Armed Forces
Active Personnel
China
LARGEST
2.04M
TROOPS
Malaysia
5.6% OF LARGEST
113K
TROOPS
China has 18.01× the active personnel of Malaysia
Air Force
China
LARGEST
3.29K
AIRCRAFT
Malaysia
5.2% OF LARGEST
171
AIRCRAFT
China has 19.21× the aircraft of Malaysia
Naval Assets
China
Malaysia
Wealth
Gold Reserves
China
LARGEST
2,279.6
Metric Tonnes
Malaysia
1.7% OF LARGEST
38.9
Metric Tonnes
Foreign-Exchange Reserves
China
LARGEST
$3.27T
Reserves · excl. gold
Malaysia
3.5% OF LARGEST
$113B
Reserves · excl. gold
Billionaires
China
MOST
473
billionaires
Malaysia
—
Oil
Proven Reserves
China
LARGEST
26
Billion barrels
Production & Consumption
China
NET IMPORTER
Production
4.1M b/d
Consumption
15.4M b/d
−11.3M b/d net
Trade (Import/Export)
China
$3,753.1B
Exports
$3,753.1B
Imports
$3,219.3B
Trade Balance
+$533.7B
Trade Surplus
Malaysia
$301.2B
Exports
$301.2B
Imports
$278.8B
Trade Balance
+$22.5B
Trade Surplus
Drinks per Person
Coffee
kg / person / yr
China
consumption
Malaysia
supply
Tea
kg / person / yr
China
consumption
Malaysia
supply
Beer
litres / person / yr
China
consumption
Malaysia
consumption
Wine
litres / person / yr
China
consumption
Malaysia
supply
Alcohol
litres pure alcohol / person / yr
China
consumption
Malaysia
consumption
Smoking
% of adults 15+ who smoke
China
Malaysia
Per-capita — consumption where available, else FAOSTAT supply · alcohol = litres of pure alcohol; smoking = % of adults 15+ (WHO)
Olympic Medals
China
330
Gold
262
Silver
227
Bronze
819
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 727
❄ Winter: 92
Malaysia
0
Gold
8
Silver
7
Bronze
15
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 15
❄ Winter: 0
Religious Demographics
Religious Distribution
Religious Composition by Country
China
Malaysia
Age Demographics
Median Age
China
39.0
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Malaysia
30.3
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Age Distribution
Population breakdown by age bracket (percentage)
Demographic Insights
Age Gap
China is 8.7 years older (median) than Malaysia
Youth Population
Malaysia has the highest youth population at 49.0% (under 30)
Elderly Population
China has the highest elderly population at 19.0% (60+)
Global Statistics
| Metric |
China
|
Malaysia
|
|---|---|---|
| Travel & Mobility | ||
| Passport Power visa-free destinations |
85
|
— |
| Tourist Arrivals per year |
65.7M
|
— |
| Culture & Prestige | ||
| Nobel Laureates all-time |
8
|
0
|
| 3-Michelin-Star Restaurants current guide |
12
|
0
|
| UNESCO Heritage Sites inscribed sites |
56
|
6
|
Figures as of 2026. Sources: IMF, EIA/OPEC, Henley Passport Index, UNWTO, Forbes, Michelin Guide, Nobel Foundation, UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
Cost of Living
|
Metric
All indices use New York City as base (100)
Lower values indicate lower costs.
|
China
|
Malaysia
|
|---|---|---|
| Cost of Living Index |
|
|
| Rent Index |
|
|
| Groceries Index |
|
|
| Restaurant Price Index |
|
|
| Local Purchasing Power |
|
|
| Common Expenses Comparison | ||
| Meal at Inexpensive Restaurant (USD) | $5 | $4 |
| Three-Course Meal for 2 (USD) | $25 | $20 |
| Monthly Rent - City Center (USD) | $600 | $600 |
| Monthly Rent - Outside Center (USD) | $380 | $400 |
| Monthly Utilities (USD) | $50 | $80 |
| Internet (60 Mbps, USD) | $20 | $25 |
| Monthly Public Transport Pass (USD) | $30 | $15 |
Health
Healthcare spending, capacity and outcomes. Sources: World Bank / WHO — the year tag shows each figure’s vintage; “—” means the country doesn’t report that metric.
Health spending / person
China
Malaysia
Physicians per 1,000
China
Malaysia
Hospital beds per 1,000
China
Malaysia
Diabetes prevalence
Malaysia
China
Obesity prevalence
Malaysia
China
Suicide rate per 100k
China
Malaysia
Want the long view?
GDP, population, reserves & trade for China vs Malaysia — charted over the decades.
Basic Information
| Metric | China | Malaysia |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1406585000 | 35977838 |
| Area (sq km) | 9596961 | 329847 |
| Capital | Beijing | Kuala Lumpur |
| Official Language | Mandarin Chinese | Malay |
| Currency | Renminbi (Yuan, CNY) | Malaysian Ringgit (MYR) |
| Government Type | Unitary one-party socialist republic | Federal parliamentary constitutional elective monarchy |
Military Strength
| Metric | China | Malaysia |
|---|---|---|
| Active Personnel | 2,035,000 | 113,000 |
| Reserve Personnel | 510,000 | 51,600 |
| Total Military Personnel | 2,545,000 | 164,600 |
| Defense Budget (USD) | $292,000,000,000 | $4,000,000,000 |
| Tanks | 5,651 | 48 |
| Armored Vehicles | 35,000 | 1,159 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 4,120 | 19 |
| Towed Artillery | 6,246 | 110 |
| Rocket Projectors | 2,430 | 36 |
Economy
| Metric | China | Malaysia |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (USD) | $19,498,039,388,043 | $472,193,128,645 |
| GDP Per Capita (USD) | $13,862 | $13,125 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 4.6% | 3.8% |
| GINI Index (Income Inequality) | 36.0 | 40.7 |
| Currency | Renminbi (Yuan, CNY) | Malaysian Ringgit (MYR) |
| Loading current exchange rates… | ||
Interesting Comparisons & Trivia
Did You Know?
China is 29.1 times larger in area than Malaysia.
That's a massive difference!
China has 39.1 times more people than Malaysia.
With over a billion people, that's more than 1/8 of humanity!
China has the highest GDP per capita at $13,862 among the selected countries.
China has the largest economy with a GDP of
$19.5 trillion.
China has the largest active military personnel with 2,035,000 troops.
China has the largest air force with 3,285 aircraft.
China has the largest navy with 777 vessels.
China Fact: China produces more than 1.4 billion tons of rice annually, feeding nearly 20% of the world's population.
China vs Malaysia: Key Comparisons
Economy: China's GDP of $19.5T is 41.3x larger than Malaysia's $472B — both among the world's largest economies.
Population: China's population of 1.4B is 39.1x larger than Malaysia's 36M.
Area: China covers 9,596,961 km², making it 29.1x larger than Malaysia.
Military: China fields 2Million active troops vs Malaysia's 110Thousand.
Trade: China runs a trade surplus of $534B while Malaysia runs a trade surplus of $22B.
Life Expectancy: China leads with a life expectancy of 78 years vs Malaysia's 77.
Data compiled from World Bank, IMF, Global Firepower, SIPRI, Numbeo, and Pew Research.
Last updated August 2026.
Sources & methodology