Malaysia vs Small states: Population, total
Malaysia
35.98 million
in 2025
Small states
20.35 million
in 2025
Malaysia rank
45th
Small states rank
44th
Population, total over time
- Malaysia
- Small states
How they compare
Malaysia currently reports 35.98 million against 20.35 million in Small states, a difference of 15.63 million.
That makes Malaysia's figure about 1.8 times Small states's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 66 shared years of data; in 1960 it was Small states ahead.
Malaysia ranks 45th and Small states ranks 44th of 218 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Malaysia averaged higher in 6 and Small states in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Malaysia | Small states | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 8.95 million | 9.57 million | 620,816 | Small states |
| 1970s | 11.36 million | 11.30 million | 62,890 | Malaysia |
| 1980s | 15.07 million | 13.20 million | 1.87 million | Malaysia |
| 1990s | 20.11 million | 15.06 million | 5.04 million | Malaysia |
| 2000s | 25.55 million | 16.63 million | 8.91 million | Malaysia |
| 2010s | 31.01 million | 18.40 million | 12.60 million | Malaysia |
| 2020s | 34.92 million | 19.92 million | 15.00 million | Malaysia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher population, total, Malaysia or Small states?
- Malaysia, at 35.98 million against 20.35 million in Small states as of 2025.
- What is the difference in population, total between Malaysia and Small states?
- 15.63 million, with Malaysia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Malaysia and Small states?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do Malaysia and Small states rank globally for population, total?
- Malaysia ranks 45th and Small states ranks 44th of 218 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as Population, total. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Total population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship. The values shown are midyear estimates.