Malaysia

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)

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

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

legislature name: Parliament (Parlimen) legislative structure: bicameral

highest court(s): 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) 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 note: Malaysia has a dual judicial hierarchy of civil and religious (sharia) courts

history: previous 1948; latest drafted 21 February 1957, effective 27 August 1957 amendment process: 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

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, UNHRC, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNISFA, UNMIL, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

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.)

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

17 years 6 months of age for voluntary military service for men and women (younger with parental consent and proof of age); mandatory retirement age 60; no conscription (2025)

the Malaysian military is responsible for defense of the country's national interests, sovereignty, and territorial integrity; it also has some domestic responsibilities, such as responding to natural disasters; key areas of focus for the military include cyber defense, crime and piracy in the Strait of Malacca, and tensions in the South China Sea; the Army has traditionally been the dominant service, but air and maritime security have received increased emphasis in recent years; Malaysia has undertaken efforts to procure more modern aircraft and ships, improve air and maritime surveillance, expand the Navy s support infrastructure (particularly bases/ports) and domestic ship-building capacities, and increase cooperation with regional and international partners such as Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, and the US Malaysia is a member of the Five Powers Defense Arrangements (FPDA), a series of mutual assistance agreements reached in 1971 embracing Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the UK; the FPDA commits the members to consult with one another in the event or threat of an armed attack on any of the members and to mutually decide what measures should be taken, jointly or separately; there is no specific obligation to intervene militarily (2025)

825 Lebanon (UNIFIL) (2025)

$1.212 trillion (2024 est.) $1.153 trillion (2023 est.) $1.113 trillion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

$34,100 (2024 est.) $32,800 (2023 est.) $32,100 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

5.1% (2024 est.) 3.6% (2023 est.) 8.9% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

1.8% (2024 est.) 2.5% (2023 est.) 3.4% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices

64.3% of GDP (2023 est.) note: central government debt as a % of GDP

$301.789 billion (2024 est.) $274.1 billion (2023 est.) $312.88 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

$279.09 billion (2024 est.) $253.665 billion (2023 est.) $283.758 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

3.9% (2024 est.) 3.9% (2023 est.) 4% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

revenues: $69.055 billion (2023 est.) expenditures: $89.046 billion (2023 est.) note: central government revenues and expenses (excluding grants/extrabudgetary units/social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

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

oil palm fruit, rice, chicken, eggs, tropical fruits, coconuts, vegetables, pineapples, rubber, bananas (2023) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

total: 34,905,275 (2025 est.) male: 17,833,074 female: 17,072,201

0.97% (2025 est.)

0-14 years: 22.2% (male 3,947,914/female 3,730,319) 15-64 years: 69.4% (male 12,308,938/female 11,666,947) 65 years and over: 8.4% (2024 est.) (male 1,409,360/female 1,501,332)

14.05 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

5.8 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

1.43 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

total population: 76.6 years (2024 est.) male: 75 years female: 78.4 years

urban population: 78.7% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 1.87% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

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.)

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

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.)

total population: 95.8% (2022 est.) male: 96.8% (2022 est.) female: 94.7% (2022 est.)

tin, petroleum, timber, copper, iron ore, natural gas, bauxite

Abu Sayyaf Group, al-Qa'ida, Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS) 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 the Terrorism reference guide

refugees: 191,343 (2024 est.) stateless persons: 120,857 (2024 est.)

100 (2025)

total: 1,851 km (2014) standard gauge: 59 km (2014) 1.435-m gauge (59 km electrified) narrow gauge: 1,792 km (2014) 1.000-m gauge (339 km electrified)

total: 1,750 (2023) by type: bulk carrier 14, container ship 35, general cargo 169, oil tanker 148, other 1,384

total subscriptions: 49.7 million (2024 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 140 (2024 est.)

percent of population: 98% (2023 est.)