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

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Background:


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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: 1,190 km²
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 (Peninsular Malaysia 2,068 km, East Malaysia 2,607 km)

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation; specified boundary in the South China Sea

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

Terrain: coastal plains rising to hills and mountains

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

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

Land use
Agricultural land: 23.2% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 2.9% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 19.4% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 0.9% (2018 est.)
Forest: 62% (2018 est.)
Other: 14.8% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 3,800 km² (2012)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 1.342 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)
Industrial: 1.641 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)
Agricultural: 2.505 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

Total renewable water resources: 580 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

Natural hazards: flooding; landslides; forest fires

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


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Population
Distribution: a highly uneven distribution with over 80% of the population residing on the Malay Peninsula: 33,519,406 (July 2021 est.)
Growth rate: 1.06% (2021 est.)
Below poverty line: 5.6% (2018 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Malaysian(s)
Adjective: Malaysian

Ethnic groups: Bumiputera 62.5% (Malays and indigenous peoples, including Orang Asli, Dayak, Anak Negeri), Chinese 20.6%, Indian 6.2%, other 0.9%, non-citizens 9.8% (2019 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
Major language samples:

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: Malaysia’s multi-ethnic population consists of the bumiputera – Malays and other indigenous peoples – (62%), ethnic Chinese (21%), ethnic Indians (6%), and foreigners (10%).  The majority of Malaysia’s ethnic Chinese and Indians trace their roots to the British colonialists’ recruitment of hundreds of thousands of Chinese and Indians as mine and plantation workers between the early-19^th century and the 1930s.  Most Malays have maintained their rural lifestyle, while the entrepreneurial Chinese have achieved greater wealth and economic dominance.  In order to eradicate Malay poverty, the Malaysian Government in 1971 adopted policies that gave preference to the bumiputera in public university admissions, government jobs and contracts, and property ownership.  Affirmative action continues to benefit well-off urban bumiputera but has done little to alleviate poverty for their more numerous rural counterparts.  The policies have pushed ethnic Chinese and Indians to study at private or foreign universities (many do not return) and have created and sustained one of the world’s largest civil services, which is 85-90% Malay. 

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.)

Population growth rate: 1.06% (2021 est.)

Birth rate: 14.72 births/1000 population (2021 est.)

Death rate: 5.66 deaths/1000 population (2021 est.)

Net migration rate: 1.49 migrant(s)/1000 population (2021 est.)

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

Urbanization
Urban population: 77.7% of total population (2021)
Rate of urbanization: 1.87% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 8.211 million KUALA LUMPUR (capital), 1.045 million Johor Bahru, 828,000 Ipoh (2021)

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: Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 16.04 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 248.29 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 51.51 megatons (2020 est.)

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: 29 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 6.7 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 7.08 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 6.3 deaths/1000 live births (2021 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 75.87 years
Male: 74.24 years
Female: 77.62 years (2021 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.76 children born/woman (2021 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 52.2% (2014)

Drinking water source
Improved urban: 100% of population
Improved rural: 89.3% of population
Improved total: 96.7% of population
Unimproved urban: 0% of population
Unimproved rural: 11.7% of population
Unimproved total: 3.3% of population (2017 est.)

Current health expenditure: 3.8% (2018)

Physicians density: 1.54 physicians/1000 population (2015)

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

Sanitation facility access
Improved urban: 100% of population
Improved rural: 98.7% of population
Improved total: 100% of population
Unimproved urban: 0% of population
Unimproved rural: 1.3% of population
Unimproved total: 0% of population (2017 est.)

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.4% (2020 est.)
People living with hivaids: 92,000 (2020 est.)
Deaths: 2,000 (2020 est.)

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: intermediate (2020)
Food or water borne diseases: bacterial diarrhea
Vector borne diseases: dengue fever
Watercontactdiseases: leptospirosis

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 15.6% (2016)

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 14.1% (2019)

Education expenditures: 4.2% of GDP (2019)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 95%
Male: 96.2%
Female: 93.6% (2019)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 13 years
Male: 13 years
Female: 14 years (2019)

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15-24 total: 12%
Rate ages 15-24 male: 11.4%
Rate ages 15-24 female: 13% (2020 est.)


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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 2019

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 descentonly: 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 ISMAIL SABRI Yaakob (since 21 August 2021); note - Tan Sri MUHYIDDIN Yassin resigned on 16 August 2021
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
Elections and appointments: 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: bicameral Parliament of Malaysia or Parlimen Malaysia consists of:
Senate or Dewan Negara (70 seats; 44 members appointed by the king and 26 indirectly elected by 13 state legislatures; members serve 3-year terms)
House of Representatives or Dewan Rakyat (222 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 5-year terms) (2019)
Elections: Senate - appointed
House of Representatives - last held on 9 May 2018 (next national elections are not scheduled until 2023 but are widely expected to be called in 2022)
Election results: Senate - appointed; composition - men 54, women 14, percent of women 20.6%
House of Representatives - percent of vote by party/coalition - PH 45.6%, BN 33.8%, PAS 16.9%, WARISAN 2.3%, other 1.4%; seats by party/coalition - PH 113, BN 79, PAS 18, WARISAN 8, USA 1, independent 3; composition - men 199, women 23, percent of women 10.4%; note - total Parliament percent of women 12.8%
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

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: (vacant)
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 email address and website:
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Brian D. McFeeters (since 26 February 2021)
From the us embassy: 376 Jalan Tun Razak, 50,400 Kuala Lumpur
From the us mailing address: 4,210 Kuala Lumpur, Washington DC  20,521-4,210
From the us telephone: [60] (3) 2,168-5,000
From the us FAX: [60] (3) 2,142-2,207
From the us email address and website:

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)
Lyrics and music: 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


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Economy overview

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

Real gdp growth rate: 4.31% (2019 est.)

4.77% (2018 est.)

5.81% (2017 est.)

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

Gross national saving

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: oil palm fruit, rice, poultry, eggs, vegetables, rubber, coconuts, bananas, pineapples, pork

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.)

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

Unemployment rate: 3.3% (2019 est.)

3.33% (2018 est.)

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15-24 total: 12%
Rate ages 15-24 male: 11.4%
Rate ages 15-24 female: 13% (2020 est.)

Population below poverty line: 5.6% (2018 est.)

Gini index
Coefficient distribution of family income: 41 (2015 est.)

49.2 (1997)

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.)

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

Public debt: 54.1% of GDP (2017 est.)
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

Revenue
From forest resources forest revenues: 1.57% of GDP (2018 est.)
From coal coal revenues: 0.02% of GDP (2018 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 0.6% (2019 est.)
Note: approximately 30% of goods are price-controlled

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: $12.295 billion (2019 est.)

$8.027 billion (2018 est.)

Exports: $207.37 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2020 est.)

$237.83 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2019 est.)

$245.89 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2018 est.)
Partners: Singapore 13%, China 13%, United States 11%, Hong Kong 6%, Japan 6%, Thailand 5% (2019)
Commodities: integrated circuits, refined petroleum, natural gas, semiconductors, palm oil (2019)

Imports: $185.59 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2020 est.)

$210.68 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2019 est.)

$221.83 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2018 est.)
Partners: China 24%, Singapore 14%, Japan 6%, United States 6%, Taiwan 5%, Thailand 5% (2019)
Commodities: integrated circuits, refined petroleum, crude petroleum, broadcasting equipment, coal (2019)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $102.4 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

$94.5 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

Debt external: $224.596 billion (2019 est.)

$226.901 billion (2018 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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

Coal

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

Crude oil

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

Natural gas
Production: 69.49 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Consumption: 30.44 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Exports: $38.23 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Imports: 2.803 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Proven reserves: 1.183 trillion m³ (1 January 2018 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 7,467,900 (2020)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 23.07 (2020 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 43,723,600 (2020)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 135.1 (2020 est.)

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: 27.43 million (2021 est.)
Users percent of population: 89.56% (2020 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 3,358,800 (2020)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 10.38 (2020 est.)


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Military expenditures: 1% of GDP (2021 est.)

1.1% of GDP (2020)

1% of GDP (2019)

1% of GDP (2018)

1.1% of GDP (2017)

Military and security forces: Malaysian Armed Forces (Angkatan Tentera Malaysia, ATM): Malaysian Army (Tentera Darat Malaysia), Royal Malaysian Navy (Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia, TLDM), Royal Malaysian Air Force (Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia, TUDM); Ministry of Home Affairs: the Royal Malaysian Police (PRMD, includes the General Operations Force, a paramilitary force with a variety of roles, including patrolling borders, counter-terrorism, maritime security, and counterinsurgency) (2021)

note - Malaysia created a National Special Operations Force in 2016 for combating terrorism threats; the force is comprised of personnel from the Armed Forces, the Royal Malaysian Police, and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (Malaysian Coast Guard)

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 (2021)

Space program

Terrorist groups: Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS); Jemaah Islamiyah (JI); Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG)
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 Appendix T


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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 mt-km (2018)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: 9M

Airports
Total: 114 (2013)
With paved runways total: 39
With paved runways over 3047 m: 8
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 8
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 7
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 8
With paved runways under 914 m: 8 (2017)
With unpaved runways total: 75
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 6
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: 1,851 km (2014)
Standard gauge: 59 km 1.435-m gauge (59 km electrified) (2014)
Narrowgauge: 1,792 km 1.000-m gauge (339 km electrified) (2014)

Roadways
Total: 144,403 km (excludes local roads) (2010)
Paved: 116,169 km (includes 1,821 km of expressways) (2010)
Unpaved: 28,234 km (2010)

Waterways: 7,200 km (Peninsular Malaysia 3,200 km; Sabah 1,500 km; Sarawak 2,500 km) (2011)

Merchant marine
Total: 1,769
By type: bulk carrier 16, container ship 28, general cargo 174, oil tanker 153, other 1,398 (2021)

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Bintulu, Johor Bahru, George Town (Penang), Pelabuhan Klang (Port Klang), Tanjung Pelepas
Container ports teus: Port Kelang (Port Klang) (13,580,717), Tanjung Pelepas (9,100,000) (2019)
Lng terminals export: Bintulu (Sarawak)
Lng terminals import: Sungei Udang


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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 country of origin: 119,579 (Burma) (2020)
Stateless persons: 111,298 (2020); note - Malaysia's 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: methamphetamine is the most used and trafficked drug controlled by criminal organizations that produce it; crystal methamphetamine, MDMA (ecstasy), cannabis products, heroin, ketamine, and Erimin 5 (nimetazepam) are smuggled into the country; a transit point for trafficking cocaine and other drugs to the Australian market