Malaysia

The main languages spoken in Malaysia are:
Bahasa Malaysia (Malay) - the sole official language, spoken by the majority of the population.
English - widely spoken as a second language, particularly in business and education.
Chinese dialects (Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka), Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Punjabi are also spoken, reflecting Malaysia's Chinese and Indian communities.
Malaysia has 134 living languages - 112 indigenous and 22 non-indigenous; in East Malaysia, Iban and Kadazan are the most widely spoken indigenous languages.
Bahasa Malaysia is the sole official language of Malaysia.

Geography

Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea, peninsula and portion of the island of Borneo, between Thailand and Indonesia

Map references: Southeast Asia

Area:
total: 329,847-330,803 sq km; divided by the South China Sea into Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia (on Borneo)

Land boundaries:
border countries: Brunei, Indonesia, Thailand

People

Population: 34.2-34.9 million (2025 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 22.2-27.48%
15-64 years: 69.4%
65 years and over: 6.35-8.4%

Median age: 32.2 years (2025 est.)

Nationality:
noun/adjective: Malaysian(s)

Religions: Muslim (official) 61.3-63.5%, Buddhist 18.7-19.8%, Christian 9.1-9.2%, Hindu 6.1-6.3% (2010-2020 est.)

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

Government

Country name:
conventional short form: Malaysia

Data code: MY

Government type: federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy; 13 states and 3 federal territories

National capital: Kuala Lumpur (official capital); Putrajaya (administrative/seat of federal government)

Independence: 31 August 1957 (Federation of Malaya from the UK); 16 September 1963 (Malaysia formed with Sarawak, North Borneo, and Singapore, though Singapore later separated in 1965)

Economy

Economy - overview: upper-middle-income, newly industrialized economy; strong electronics, semiconductor, and manufacturing sectors; diversified into automotive, petrochemicals, and Islamic finance; consistently strong regional trade ties via ASEAN and RCEP

GDP (purchasing power parity): $1.608-1.609 trillion (2026 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 5.2% (2025)

GDP - per capita: $46,986 PPP (2026 est.)

Inflation rate: 1.2% (May 2025)

Unemployment rate: 3.8% (2025 est.)

Population below poverty line: 5.1% (2024 est.)

Industries: electronics, semiconductors, microchips, integrated circuits, rubber, oleochemicals, automotive, optical devices, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, Islamic finance, petroleum, liquefied natural gas, petrochemicals, telecommunications

Currency: Malaysian ringgit (MYR)

Communications

Space: has launched feasibility studies for potential space launch sites in Pahang, Sabah, and Sarawak; national space policy focused on remote sensing, navigation, and telecommunications; launched first commercial high-resolution remote sensing satellite (UzmaSat-1) in 2025 and signed the US-led Artemis Accords (2025)