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Asia / South-Eastern Asia · Card 026

Malaysia

Malaysia is a country in South-Eastern Asia. Its capital is Kuala Lumpur.

Find Malaysia

● Capital · Gold highlights this card’s area.
Map: Natural Earth. Boundaries show geographic context, not a position on sovereignty. Small islands may use enlarged markers.

At a glance

Capital: Kuala LumpurPutrajaya is the federal administrative center.
Languages: Malay; English and other languages widely used
Currency: Malaysian ringgit (MYR)
Population: 36.0 million2025 · World Bank
Area: 330,803 km²127,724 square miles
Malayan independence: 1957Malaysia was formed in 1963.

Malaysia in context

Asia and its surrounding regions. The dot marks Kuala Lumpur; the mapped territory is highlighted in gold.

Natural Earth · locator map

Geography & languages

Physical geography

Coastal plains rising to hills and mountains.

Languages

Malay is the national and official language. English, Chinese varieties, Tamil and Indigenous languages are also widely used.

Location

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. Putrajaya is the federal administrative center.

Flag

14 equal horizontal stripes of red alternating with white; a dark blue rectangle in the upper-left corner has a yellow crescent and a 14-pointed yellow star

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

History & independence

The Federation of Malaya gained independence from Britain in 1957 through negotiation. Malaysia was formed in 1963 when Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore joined together. Singapore separated in 1965 and became an independent republic.

1957
Malaya gains independence
1963
Malaysia formed
1965
Singapore separates

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Economy

Main activities

Electronics, machinery, petroleum, palm oil, business services and tourism are important. Manufacturing exports and domestic services both contribute substantially to the economy.

Industry and production

Peninsular Malaysia - rubber and oil palm processing and manufacturing, petroleum and natural gas, light manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, medical technology, electronics and semiconductors, timber processing; Sabah - logging, petroleum and natural gas production; Sarawak - agriculture processing, petroleum and natural gas production, logging

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Population & economic trends

Dated World Bank observations. Population uses selected years; real GDP uses all available annual observations.

Population, 1970–2025

Millions of people

36.02025 · millions of people

Population estimates may be revised. Selected years are shown.

Sources: World Bank · Population

View data table

Population: source values and plotted units
Year	People	Millions of people
1970	10,178,802	10.179
1980	12,983,363	12.983
1990	17,833,171	17.833
2000	22,967,816	22.968
2010	28,655,776	28.656
2020	33,889,558	33.890
2025	35,977,838	35.978

Real GDP, 1990–2025

Billions of constant 2015 US dollars

444.42025 · billions of constant 2015 US dollars

Constant prices adjust for inflation. This is total economic output, not current-dollar GDP or income per person. Missing years are left as gaps.

Sources: World Bank · Real GDP

View data table

Real GDP: source values and plotted units
Year	Constant 2015 US$	Billions of constant 2015 US dollars
1990	74,627,553,680	74.628
1991	81,751,102,498	81.751
1992	89,014,784,404	89.015
1993	97,822,746,879	97.823
1994	106,834,219,205	106.834
1995	117,335,045,631	117.335
1996	129,071,719,045	129.072
1997	138,523,307,833	138.523
1998	128,328,802,477	128.329
1999	136,205,126,471	136.205
2000	148,271,359,065	148.271
2001	149,038,923,296	149.039
2002	157,073,594,224	157.074
2003	166,165,798,104	166.166
2004	177,437,551,536	177.438
2005	186,898,768,709	186.899
2006	197,336,779,112	197.337
2007	209,766,600,384	209.767
2008	219,902,039,819	219.902
2009	216,573,759,299	216.574
2010	232,654,030,399	232.654
2011	244,970,531,974	244.971
2012	258,378,881,826	258.379
2013	270,506,469,604	270.506
2014	286,755,041,078	286.755
2015	301,355,266,965	301.355
2016	314,764,917,575	314.765
2017	333,061,328,477	333.061
2018	349,191,778,300	349.192
2019	364,602,265,936	364.602
2020	344,706,479,641	344.706
2021	356,134,704,342	356.135
2022	388,299,855,025	388.300
2023	402,034,268,648	402.034
2024	422,559,964,245	422.560
2025	444,411,684,412	444.412

Human development

The Human Development Index combines health, education and income. Scores range from 0 to 1.

HDI · 20230.819Very High human developmentRank 67 of 193 · 2025 report

Human Development Index over time

19900.653

20000.733

20100.779

20200.810

20230.819

76.7 yearsLife expectancy at birth

11.1 yearsMean schooling, adults aged 25+

The latest values refer to 2023. All historical scores use the same report edition. HDI does not describe every aspect of inequality or quality of life.

Sources: UNDP · Human Development Report 2025

Government

Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Parliament (Parlimen) has two chambers (a bicameral legislature).

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Knowledge check

Three questions about Malaysia.

QUESTION 1 OF 3

In which year did this event occur in Malaysia: Malaya gains independence?

Sources & notes

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Prepared 24 September 2026. World Bank series: SP.POP.TOTL (persons) and NY.GDP.MKTP.KD (constant 2015 US dollars); downloaded 24 September 2026, provider update 13 July 2026. UNDP values use the 2025 report and 2023 observation year. These are dated statistical snapshots, not live population or economic counters.

Maps use Natural Earth geographic data. Background geography, flag descriptions and selected historical facts use archived public-domain CIA World Factbook profiles, supplemented by the sources linked above. The Factbook is no longer updated; dated statistics here come from the separately named providers.