Factbook dossier
Background
Malaysia s location has long made it an important cultural, economic, historical, social, and trade link between the islands of Southeast Asia and the mainland. Through the Strait of Malacca, which separates the Malay Peninsula from the archipelago, flowed maritime trade and with it influences from China, India, the Middle East, and the east coast of Africa. Prior to the 14th century, several powerful maritime empires existed in what is modern-day Malaysia, including the Srivijayan, which controlled much of the southern part of the peninsula between the 7th and 13th centuries, and the Majapahit Empire, which took control over most of the peninsula and the Malay Archipelago between the 13th and 14th centuries. The adoption of Islam between the 13th and 17th centuries also saw the rise of a number of powerful maritime states and sultanates on the Malay Peninsula and the island of Borneo, such as the port city of Malacca (Melaka), which at its height in the 15th century had a navy and hosted thousands of Chinese, Arab, Persian, and Indian merchants. The Portuguese in the 16th century and the Dutch in the 17th century were the first European colonial powers to establish themselves on the Malay Peninsula and in Southeast Asia. However, it was the British who ultimately secured hegemony across the territory and during the late 18th and 19th centuries established colonies and protectorates in the area that is now Malaysia. Japan occupied these holdings from 1942 to 1945. In 1948, the British-ruled territories on the Malay Peninsula (except Singapore) formed the Federation of Malay…
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
Area
total : 329,847 sq km land: 328,657 sq km water: 1,190 sq km
Natural resources
tin, petroleum, timber, copper, iron ore, natural gas, bauxite
Natural hazards
flooding; landslides; forest fires
Population
total: 34,905,275 (2025 est.) male: 17,833,074 female: 17,072,201
Ethnic groups
Bumiputera 63.8% (Malay 52.8% and indigenous peoples, including Orang Asli, Dayak, Anak Negeri, 11%), Chinese 20.6%, Indian 6%, other 0.6%, non-citizens 9% (2023 est.)
Languages
Bahasa Malaysia (official), English, Chinese (Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan, Foochow), Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Panjabi, Thai major-language sample(s): Buku Fakta Dunia, sumber yang diperlukan untuk maklumat asas. (Bahasa Malaysia) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information. note: Malaysia has 134 languages (112 indigenous and 22 non-indigenous); in East Malaysia, there are several indigenous languages, and the most widely spoken are Iban and Kadazan
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% (2020 est.)
Environmental issues
air pollution from industrial and vehicular emissions; water pollution from raw sewage; deforestation; smoke/haze from Indonesian forest fires; endangered species; coastal reclamation damaging mangroves and turtle nesting sites
Government type
federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy note: all Peninsular Malaysian states have hereditary rulers (commonly referred to as sultans) except Melaka (Malacca) and Pulau Pinang (Penang); those two states along with Sabah and Sarawak in East Malaysia have governors appointed by government; powers of state governments are limited by the federal constitution; under terms of federation, Sabah and Sarawak retain certain constitutional prerogatives (e.g., right to maintain their own immigration controls)
Capital
name: Kuala Lumpur geographic coordinates: 3 10 N, 101 42 E time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) etymology: the name means "muddy river junction," referring to the city's location on the confluence of the Kelang and Gombak rivers; it comes from the Malay words kuala (river junction or estuary) and lumpur (mud) note: nearby Putrajaya is referred to as a federal government administrative center but not as the capital; the legislature meets in Kuala Lumpur
Executive branch
chief of state: King Sultan IBRAHIM ibni al-Marhum Sultan Iskandar (since 31 January 2024) head of government: Prime Minister ANWAR Ibrahim (since 24 November 2022) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister from among members of Parliament with the consent of the king election/appointment process: king elected by and from the hereditary rulers of 9 states for a 5-year term; election is on a rotational basis among rulers of the 9 states; prime minister designated from among members of the House of Representatives; following legislative elections, the leader who has support of the majority of members in the House becomes prime minister most recent election date: 24 October 2023 expected date of next election: October 2028, with inauguration in January 2029 note: the position of the king is primarily ceremonial, but he is the final arbiter on the appointment of the prime minister
Legislative branch
legislature name: Parliament (Parlimen) legislative structure: bicameral
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$1.212 trillion (2024 est.) $1.153 trillion (2023 est.) $1.113 trillion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars
Real GDP per capita
$34,100 (2024 est.) $32,800 (2023 est.) $32,100 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
1.8% (2024 est.) 2.5% (2023 est.) 3.4% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices
Exports - partners
China 21%, Singapore 12%, USA 12%, Japan 5%, Hong Kong 5% (2023) note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports
Imports - partners
China 24%, Singapore 11%, USA 7%, Japan 5%, Taiwan 5% (2023) note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
Military and security forces
Malaysian Armed Forces (Angkatan Tentera Malaysia, ATM): Malaysian Army, Royal Malaysian Navy, Royal Malaysian Air Force Ministry of Home Affairs: Royal Malaysia Police (RMP or Polis Diraja Malaysia, PDRM), Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA; aka Malaysian Coast Guard) (2025) note: the Royal Malaysia Police includes the General Operations Force, a paramilitary force with a variety of roles, including patrolling borders, counterterrorism, maritime security, and counterinsurgency
Military expenditures
1% of GDP (2024 est.) 0.9% of GDP (2023 est.) 1.1% of GDP (2022 est.) 1% of GDP (2021 est.) 1.1% of GDP (2020 est.)