Map of Malaysia | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

top of page


Background: The adoption of Islam in the 14th century saw the rise of a number of powerful sultanates on the Malay Peninsula and island of Borneo. 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 Southeast Asia. However, it was the British who ultimately secured their hegemony across the territory and during the late 18th and 19th centuries established colonies and protectorates in the area that is now Malaysia. These holdings were occupied by Japan from 1942 to 1945. In 1948, the British-ruled territories on the Malay Peninsula except Singapore formed the Federation of Malaya, which became independent in 1957. Malaysia was formed in 1963 when the former British colonies of Singapore, as well as Sabah and Sarawak on the northern coast of Borneo, joined the Federation. The first several years of the country's independence were marred by a communist insurgency, Indonesian confrontation with Malaysia, Philippine claims to Sabah, and Singapore's withdrawal in 1965. During the 22-year term of Prime Minister MAHATHIR Mohamad (1981-2003), Malaysia was successful in diversifying its economy from dependence on exports of raw materials to the development of manufacturing, services, and tourism. Prime Minister MAHATHIR and a newly-formed coalition of opposition parties defeated Prime Minister Mohamed NAJIB bin Abdul Razak's United Malays National Organization (UMNO) in May 2018, ending over 60 years of uninterrupted rule by UMNO. MAHATHIR resigned in February 2020 amid a political dispute. King ABDULLAH then selected Tan Sri MUHYIDDIN Yassin as the new prime minister.


top of page


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

Geographic coordinates: 2 30 N, 112 30 E

Map reference: Southeast Asia

Area
Total: 329,847 km²
Land: 328,657 km²
Water: 1190 km²
Rank: 68
Comparative: slightly larger than New Mexico

Land boundaries
Total: 2,742 km
Border countries: (3) Brunei 266 km; , Indonesia 1881 km; , Thailand 595 km

Coastline: 4,675 km
Note: (Peninsular Malaysia 2,068 km East Malaysia 2,607 km)

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate: tropical; annual southwest (April to October) and northeast (October to February) monsoons

Terrain: coastal plains rising to hills and mountains

Elevation
Mean elevation: 419 m
Lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
Highest point: Gunung Kinabalu 4,095 m

Natural resources: tin, petroleum, timber, copper, iron ore, natural gas, bauxite

Land use
Agricultural land: 23.2% (2011 est.)
Forest: 62% (2011 est.)
Other: 14.8% (2011 est.)

Irrigated land: 3,800 km² (2012)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: flooding; landslides; forest fires

Geography
Note: strategic location along Strait of Malacca and southern South China Sea


top of page


Population
Distribution: a highly uneven distribution with over 80% of the population residing on the Malay Peninsula: 32,652,083 (July 2020 est.)
Rank: 42
Growth rate: 1.29% (2020 est.)
Growth rate rank: 82
Below poverty line: 3.8% (2009 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Malaysian(s)
Adjective: Malaysian

Ethnic groups: Bumiputera 62% (Malays and indigenous peoples, including Orang Asli, Dayak, Anak Negeri), Chinese 20.6%, Indian 6.2%, other 0.9%, non-citizens 10.3% (2017 est.)

Languages: Bahasa Malaysia (official), English, Chinese (Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan, Foochow), Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Panjabi, Thai
Note: Malaysia has 134 living languages - 112 indigenous languages and 22 non-indigenous languages; in East Malaysia, there are several indigenous languages; the most widely spoken are Iban and Kadazan

Religions: Muslim (official) 61.3%, Buddhist 19.8%, Christian 9.2%, Hindu 6.3%, Confucianism, Taoism, other traditional Chinese religions 1.3%, other 0.4%, none 0.8%, unspecified 1% (2010 est.)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 26.8% (male 4,504,562/female 4,246,681)
15-24 years: 16.63% (male 2,760,244/female 2,670,186)
25-54 years: 40.86% (male 6,737,826/female 6,604,776)
55-64 years: 8.81% (male 1,458,038/female 1,418,280)
65 years and over: 6.9% (male 1,066,627/female 1,184,863) (2020 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 44.2
Youth dependency ratio: 33.8
Elderly dependency ratio: 10.4
Potential support ratio: 9.7 (2020 est.)

Median age
Total: 29.2 years
Male: 28.9 years
Female: 29.6 years (2020 est.)
Rank: 134

Population growth rate: 1.29% (2020 est.)
Rank: 82

Birth rate: 18.3 births/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 84

Death rate: 5.3 deaths/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 190

Net migration rate: -0.3 migrant(s)/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 118

Population distribution: a highly uneven distribution with over 80% of the population residing on the Malay Peninsula

Urbanization
Urban population: 77.2% of total population
Note: (2015-20 est.)
Rate of urbanization: 2.13% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: 7.997 million KUALA LUMPUR (capital), 1.024 million Johor Bahru, 814,000 Ipoh (2020)

Environment
Current 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
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 11.4 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 13.2 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 9.6 deaths/1000 live births (2020 est.)
Rank: 115

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 75.9 years
Male: 73 years
Female: 78.9 years (2020 est.)
Rank: 108

Total fertility rate: 2.43 children born/woman (2020 est.)
Rank: 77

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 52.2% (2014)

Drinking water source
Urban: 0% of population
Rural: 11.7% of population
Total: 3.3% of population (2017 est.)

Current health expenditure: 3.9% (2017)

Physicians density: 1.54 physicians/1000 population (2015)

Hospital bed density: 1.9 beds/1000 population (2017)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 0% of population
Rural: 1.3% of population
Total: 0% of population (2017 est.)

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.4% (2019 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 79
People living with hivaids: 88,000 (2019 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 48
Deaths: 2,700 (2019 est.)
Deaths rank: 39

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: intermediate (2020)
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea
Vectorborne diseases: dengue fever
Water contact diseases: leptospirosis

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 15.6% (2016)
Rank: 125

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 13.7% (2016)
Rank: 42

Education expenditures: 4.2% of GDP (2019)
Rank: 87

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 93.7%
Male: 96.3%
Female: 91.1% (2016)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 14 years
Male: 13 years
Female: 14 years (2017)

Youth unemployment


top of page


Country name
Conventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Malaysia
Local long form: none
Local short form: Malaysia
Former: Federation of Malaya
Etymology: the name means Land of the Malays

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; note - nearby Putrajaya is referred to as a federal government administrative center but not the capital; Parliament meets in 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 Malay word for 'river junction or estuary' is 'kuala' and 'lumpur' means 'mud'; together the words render the meaning of 'muddy confluence'

Administrative divisions: 13 states (negeri-negeri, singular - negeri); Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Pulau Pinang, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor, Terengganu; and 1 federal territory (Wilayah Persekutuan) with 3 components, Kuala Lumpur, Labuan, and Putrajaya

Dependent areas

Independence: 31 August 1957 (from the UK)

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

Constitution
History: previous 1948; latest drafted 21 February 1957, effective 27 August 1957
Amendments: proposed as a bill by Parliament; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote by the Parliament membership in the bill’s second and third readings; a number of constitutional sections are excluded from amendment or repeal; amended many times, last in 2010

Legal system: mixed legal system of English common law, Islamic (sharia) law, and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Federal Court at request of supreme head of the federation

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Malaysia
Dual citizenship recognized: no
Residency requirement for naturalization: 10 out 12 years preceding application

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal (2019)

Executive branch
Chief of state: King Sultan ABDULLAH Sultan Ahmad Shah (since 24 January 2019); note - King MUHAMMAD V (formerly known as Tuanku Muhammad Faris Petra) (selected on 14 October 2016; installed on 13 December 2016) resigned on 6 January 2019; the position of the king is primarily ceremonial, but he is the final arbiter on the appointment of the prime minister 
Head of government: Prime Minister Tan Sri MUHYIDDIN Yassin (since 1 March 2020); note - Prime Minister MAHATHIR resigned on 24 February 2020 but King ABDULLAH asked that he stay on as interim prime minister until Malaysians King ABDULLAH picked MUHYIDDIN to step in as Prime Minister; note - previous Deputy Prime Minister WAN AZIZAH Wan Ismail (21 May 2018 - 24 February 2020) was the first female in this position (2019)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister from among members of Parliament with the consent of the king; note - cabinet dissolved 24 February 2020 with Prime Minister MAHATHIR resignation 
Electionsappointments: 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; election last held on 24 January 2019 (next to be held in 2024); prime minister designated from among members of the House of Representatives; following legislative elections, the leader who commands support of the majority of members in the House becomes prime minister

Legislative branch
Description:
Elections:
Election results:
Note: as of 16 November 2019, seats by party - PH 129, BN 41, GS 18, GPS 18, WARISAN 9, GBS 3, UPKO 1, PSB 1, independent 1, vacant 1

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Federal Court (consists of the chief justice, president of the Court of Appeal, chief justice of the High Court of Malaya, chief judge of the High Court of Sabah and Sarawak, 8 judges, and 1 additional judge); note - Malaysia has a dual judicial hierarchy of civil and religious (sharia) courts
Judge selection and term of office: Federal Court justices appointed by the monarch on advice of the prime minister; judges serve until mandatory retirement at age 66 with the possibility of a single 6-month extension
Subordinate courts: Court of Appeal; High Court; Sessions Court; Magistrates Court

Political parties and leaders: National Front (Barisan Nasional) or BN: Malaysian Chinese Association (Persatuan China Malaysia) or MCA [LIOW Tiong Lai]Malaysian Indian Congress (Kongres India Malaysia) or MIC [S. SUBRAMANIAM]United Malays National Organization or UMNO [Zahid HAMID](Formerly - Coalition of Hope (Pakatan Harapan) or PH (formerly the People's Alliance, before former PM MAHATHIR resigns 24 February 2020): Democratic Action Party (Parti Tindakan Demokratik) or DAP [TAN Kok Wai]Malaysian United Indigenous Party (Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia) or PPBM [Tan Sri MUHYIDDIN Yassin; note - former PM MAHATHIR steps down 24 Feb 2020]National Trust Party (Parti Amanah Negara) or AMANAH [Mohamad SABU]People's Justice Party (Parti Keadilan Rakyat) or PKR [ANWAR Ibrahim]em>Coalition/em> Perikatan Nasional or PN, after Pakatan Harapan or PH coalition fell apart 24 February 2020Malaysian United Indigenous Party (Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia) or PPBM [Tan Sri MUHYIDDIN Yassin; note - former PM MAHATHIR steps down 24 Feb 2020]United Malays National Organization or UMNO [Zahid HAMID]People's Justice Party (Parti Keadilan Rakyat) or PKR [ANWAR Ibrahim]Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (Parti Islam se Malaysia) or PAS [Abdul HADI Awang]Democratic Action Party (Parti Tindakan Demokratik) or DAP [TAN Kok Wai]National Trust Party (Parti Amanah Negara) or AMANAH [Mohamad SABU]

International organization participation: ADB, APEC, ARF, ASEAN, BIS, C, CICA (observer), CP, D-8, EAS, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINURSO, MONUSCO, NAM, OIC, OPCW, PCA, PIF (partner), UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNISFA, UNMIL, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Dato AZMIL Zabidi (since February 2019)
In the us chancery: 3,516 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 572-9,700
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 572-9,882
In the us consulate: Los Angeles, New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Kamala Shirin LAKHDHIR (since 21 February 2017)
From the us telephone: [60] (3) 2,168-5,000
From the us embassy: 376 Jalan Tun Razak, 50,400 Kuala Lumpur
From the us mailing address: US Embassy Kuala Lumpur, APO AP 96,535-8,152
From the us FAX: [60] (3) 2,142-2,207

Flag description: 14 equal horizontal stripes of red (top) alternating with white (bottom); there is a dark blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a yellow crescent and a yellow 14-pointed star; the flag is often referred to as Jalur Gemilang (Stripes of Glory); the 14 stripes stand for the equal status in the federation of the 13 member states and the federal government; the 14 points on the star represent the unity between these entities; the crescent is a traditional symbol of Islam; blue symbolizes the unity of the Malay people and yellow is the royal color of Malay rulers
Note: the design is based on the flag of the US

National symbols: tiger, hibiscus; national colors: gold, black

National anthem
Name: Negaraku (My Country)
Lyricsmusic: collective, led by Tunku ABDUL RAHMAN/Pierre Jean DE BERANGER
Note: adopted 1957; full version only performed in the presence of the king; the tune, which was adopted from a popular French melody titled 'La Rosalie,' was originally the anthem of Perak, one of Malaysia's 13 states

National heritage


top of page


Economy overview

Real gdp purchasing power parity
Real:
Real note: data are in 2010 dollars

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 65

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2010 dollars
Rank: 102

Gross national saving:
Rank: 38

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 55.3% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 12.2% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 25.3% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0.3% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 71.4% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -64.4% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 8.8% (2017 est.)
Industry: 37.6% (2017 est.)
Services: 53.6% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: Peninsular Malaysia - palm oil, rubber, cocoa, rice;Sabah - palm oil, subsistence crops; rubber, timber;Sarawak - palm oil, rubber, timber; pepper

Industries: 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

Industrial production growth rate: 5% (2017 est.)
Rank: 55

Labor force: 15.139 million (2020 est.)
Rank: 35
By occupation agriculture: 11%
By occupation industry: 36%
By occupation services: 53% (2012 est.)

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 46

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 3.8% (2009 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 1.8%
Highest 10: 34.7% (2009 est.)

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: 51.25 billion (2017 est.)
Expenditures: 60.63 billion (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -3% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 133

Taxes and other revenues: 16.4% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Rank: 180

Public debt:
Note: this figure is based on the amount of federal government debt, RM501.6 billion ($167.2 billion) in 2012; this includes Malaysian Treasury bills and other government securities, as well as loans raised externally and bonds and notes issued overseas; this figure excludes debt issued by non-financial public enterprises and guaranteed by the federal government, which was an additional $47.7 billion in 2012
Rank: 86

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Note: approximately 30% of goods are price-controlled
Rank: 48

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance:
Rank: 23

Exports:
Rank: 29
Partners: Singapore 15.1%, China 12.6%, US 9.4%, Japan 8.2%, Thailand 5.7%, Hong Kong 4.5% (2017)
Commodities: semiconductors and electronic equipment, palm oil, petroleum and liquefied natural gas, wood and wood products, palm oil, rubber, textiles, chemicals, solar panels

Imports:
Rank: 30
Commodities: electronics, machinery, petroleum products, plastics, vehicles, iron and steel products, chemicals
Partners: China 19.9%, Singapore 10.8%, US 8.4%, Japan 7.6%, Thailand 5.8%, South Korea 4.5%, Indonesia 4.4% (2017)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 25

Debt external:
Rank: 33

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


top of page


Electricity
Access electrification total population: 100% (2020)
Production: 148.3 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Production rank: 28
Consumption: 136.9 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Consumption rank: 26
Exports: 3 million kWh (2015 est.)
Exports rank: 93
Imports: 33 million kWh (2016 est.)
Imports rank: 109
Installed generating capacity: 33 million kW (2016 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 31
Generation sources fossil fuels: 78% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 89
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 136
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 18% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 95
Generation sources other renewable sources: 4% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 113

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 647,000 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 26
Crude oil exports: 326,200 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 24
Crude oil imports: 166,000 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 35
Crude oil proven reserves: 3.6 billion bbl (1 January 2018 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 27

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 528,300 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products production rank: 32
Products consumption: 704,000 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Products consumption rank: 28
Products exports: 208,400 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports rank: 31
Products imports: 304,600 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports rank: 24

Natural gas
Production: 69.49 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Production rank: 13
Consumption: 30.44 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Consumption rank: 31
Exports: 38.23 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Exports rank: 9
Imports: 2.803 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Imports rank: 45
Proven reserves: 1.183 trillion m³ (1 January 2018 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 23

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 226.8 million Mt (2017 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 31

Energy consumption per capita


top of page


Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 6,530,410
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 20.26 (2019 est.)
Fixed lines rank: 24
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 44,997,299
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 139.6 (2019 est.)
Mobile cellular rank: 34

Telephone system

Broadcast media: state-owned TV broadcaster operates 2 TV networks with relays throughout the country, and the leading private commercial media group operates 4 TV stations with numerous relays throughout the country; satellite TV subscription service is available; state-owned radio broadcaster operates multiple national networks, as well as regional and local stations; many private commercial radio broadcasters and some subscription satellite radio services are available; about 55 radio stations overall (2019)

Internet
Country code: .my
Users total: 25,829,444
Users percent of population: 81.2% (July 2018 est.)
Users rank: 30

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 2.696 million
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 8 (2018 est.)
Rank: 46


top of page


Military expenditures:
Rank: 116

Military and security forces:

Military service age and obligation: 17 years 6 months of age for voluntary military service (younger with parental consent and proof of age); mandatory retirement age 60; women serve in the Malaysian Armed Forces; no conscription (2017)

Space program

Terrorist groups: Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS); Jemaah Islamiyah (2019)
Note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in a title='Appendix-T' href='../appendix/appendix-t.html'>Appendix-T/a>


top of page


National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 13 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 270
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 60,481,772 (2018)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 1,404,410,000
Note: mt-km (2018)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: 9M (2016)

Airports: 114 (2013)
Rank: 50
With paved runways total: 39 (2017)
With paved runways over 3047 m: 8 (2017)
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 8 (2017)
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 7 (2017)
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 8 (2017)
With paved runways under 914 m: 8 (2017)
With unpaved runways total: 75 (2013)
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 6 (2013)
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 69 (2013)

Heliports: 4 (2013)

Pipelines: 354 km condensate, 6,439 km gas, 155 km liquid petroleum gas, 1937 km oil, 43 km oil/gas/water, 114 km refined products, 26 km water (2013)

Railways
Total: 1851 km (2014)
Standard gauge: 59 km
Note: 1.000-m gauge (339 km electrified) (2014)
Narrow gauge: 1792 km
Rank: 77

Roadways
Total: 144,403 km
Note: (includes 1821 km of expressways) (2010)
Paved: 116,169 km
Unpaved: 28,234 km (2010)
Rank: 35

Waterways: 7,200 km
Note: (Peninsular Malaysia 3,200 km; Sabah 1500 km; Sarawak 2,500 km) (2011)
Rank: 19

Merchant marine
Total: 1748
By type: bulk carrier 15, container ship 22, general cargo 176, oil tanker 140, other 1,395 (2019)
Rank: 15

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Bintulu, Johor Bahru, George Town (Penang), Port Kelang (Port Klang), Tanjung Pelepas
Container port: Port Kelang (Port Klang) (11,978,000), Tanjung Pelepas (8,260,000) (2017)
LNG terminal:


top of page


Disputes international: while the 2002 'Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea' has eased tensions over the Spratly Islands, it is not the legally binding 'code of conduct' sought by some parties, which is currently being negotiated between China and ASEAN; Malaysia was not party to the March 2005 joint accord among the national oil companies of China, the Philippines, and Vietnam on conducting marine seismic activities in the Spratly Islands; disputes continue over deliveries of fresh water to Singapore, Singapore's land reclamation, bridge construction, and maritime boundaries in the Johor and Singapore Straits; in 2008, ICJ awarded sovereignty of Pedra Branca (Pulau Batu Puteh/Horsburgh Island) to Singapore, and Middle Rocks to Malaysia, but did not rule on maritime regimes, boundaries, or disposition of South Ledge; land and maritime negotiations with Indonesia are ongoing, and disputed areas include the controversial Tanjung Datu and Camar Wulan border area in Borneo and the maritime boundary in the Ambalat oil block in the Celebes Sea; separatist violence in Thailand's predominantly Muslim southern provinces prompts measures to close and monitor border with Malaysia to stem terrorist activities; Philippines retains a dormant claim to Malaysia's Sabah State in northern Borneo; per Letters of Exchange signed in 2009, Malaysia in 2010 ceded two hydrocarbon concession blocks to Brunei in exchange for Brunei's sultan dropping claims to the Limbang corridor, which divides Brunei; piracy remains a problem in the Malacca Strait

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees: 119,230 (Burma) (2019)
Stateless persons: 108,332 (2019); note - Malaysias stateless population consists of Rohingya refugees from Burma, ethnic Indians, and the children of Filipino and Indonesian illegal migrants; Burma stripped the Rohingya of their nationality in 1982; Filipino and Indonesian children who have not been registered for birth certificates by their parents or who received birth certificates stamped foreigner are not eligible to attend government schools; these children are vulnerable to statelessness should they not be able to apply to their parents country of origin for passports

Illicit drugs: drug trafficking prosecuted vigorously, including enforcement of the death penalty; heroin still primary drug of abuse, but synthetic drug demand remains strong; continued ecstasy and methamphetamine producer for domestic users and, to a lesser extent, the regional drug market