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Communications

Internet country code [time series]

.my

Internet users (Internet hosts) [time series]

107,971 (2003)

Internet users [time series]

8,692,100 (2003)

Broadcast media (Radio broadcast stations) [time series]

AM 35, FM 391, shortwave 15 (2001)

Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]

general assessment: modern system; international service excellent domestic: good intercity service provided on Peninsular Malaysia mainly by microwave radio relay; adequate intercity microwave radio relay network between Sabah and Sarawak via Brunei; domestic satellite system with 2 earth stations international: country code - 60; submarine cables to India, Hong Kong, and Singapore; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean) (2001)

Telephones - fixed lines (Telephones - main lines in use) [time series]

4,571,600 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular [time series]

11,124,100 (2003)

Broadcast media (Television broadcast stations) [time series]

1 (plus 15 high-power repeaters) (2001)

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture - products) [time series]

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

Budget [time series]

revenues: $22.95 billion expenditures: $27.75 billion, including capital expenditures of $9.4 billion (2003 est.)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

ringgit (MYR)

Exchange rates (Currency code) [time series]

MYR

Current account balance [time series]

$13.38 billion (2003)

Debt - external [time series]

$48.84 billion (2003 est.)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income (Distribution of family income - Gini index) [time series]

49.2 (1997)

Economic overview (Economy - overview) [time series]

Malaysia, a middle-income country, transformed itself from 1971 through the late 1990s from a producer of raw materials into an emerging multi-sector economy. Growth was almost exclusively driven by exports - particularly of electronics. As a result Malaysia was hard hit by the global economic downturn and the slump in the information technology (IT) sector in 2001 and 2002. GDP in 2001 grew only 0.5% due to an estimated 11% contraction in exports, but a substantial fiscal stimulus package equal to US $1.9 billion mitigated the worst of the recession and the economy rebounded in 2002 with a 4.1% increase. The economy grew 4.9% in 2003, notwithstanding a difficult first half, when external pressures from SARS and the Iraq War led to caution in the business community. Healthy foreign exchange reserves and a relatively small external debt make it unlikely that Malaysia will experience a crisis similar to the one in 1997, but the economy remains vulnerable to a more protracted slowdown in Japan and the US, top export destinations and key sources of foreign investment. The Malaysian ringgit is pegged to the dollar, and the Japanese central bank continues to intervene and prop up the yen against the dollar.

Electricity - consumption [time series]

68.4 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports [time series]

0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports [time series]

0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - production [time series]

75.33 billion kWh (2002)

Exchange rates [time series]

ringgits per US dollar - 3.8 (2003), 3.8 (2002), 3.8 (2001), 3.8 (2000), 3.8 (1999)

Exports [time series]

$98.4 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities [time series]

electronic equipment, petroleum and liquefied natural gas, wood and wood products, palm oil, rubber, textiles, chemicals

Exports - partners [time series]

US 19.6%, Singapore 15.7%, Japan 10.7%, China 6.5%, Hong Kong 6.5%, Thailand 4.4% (2003)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]

purchasing power parity - $207.8 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin (GDP - composition by sector) [time series]

agriculture: 7.3% industry: 33.5% services: 59.1% (2003 est.)

Real GDP per capita (GDP - per capita) [time series]

purchasing power parity - $9,000 (2003 est.)

Real GDP growth rate (GDP - real growth rate) [time series]

5.2% (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share [time series]

lowest 10%: 1.4% highest 10%: 39.2% (2003 est.)

Imports [time series]

$74.4 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities [time series]

electronics, machinery, petroleum products, plastics, vehicles, iron and steel products, chemicals

Imports - partners [time series]

Japan 17.3%, US 15.5%, Singapore 11.9%, China 8.8%, South Korea 5.5%, Taiwan 5%, Germany 4.7%, Thailand 4.6% (2003)

Industrial production growth rate [time series]

9.3% (2003 est.)

Industries [time series]

Peninsular Malaysia - rubber and oil palm processing and manufacturing, light manufacturing industry, electronics, tin mining and smelting, logging and processing timber; Sabah - logging, petroleum production; Sarawak - agriculture processing, petroleum production and refining, logging

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

1.1% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed) [time series]

22.2% of GDP (2003)

Labor force [time series]

10.26 million (2003 est.)

Labor force - by occupation [time series]

agriculture 14.5%, industry 36%, services 49.5% (2000 est.)

Natural gas - consumption [time series]

31.25 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports [time series]

22.41 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports [time series]

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - production [time series]

53.66 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves [time series]

2.23 trillion cu m (1 January 2002)

Oil - consumption [time series]

460,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports [time series]

230,200 bbl/day (2003)

Oil - imports [time series]

NA (2003)

Oil - production [time series]

690,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - proved reserves [time series]

3.729 billion bbl (1 January 2002)

Population below poverty line [time series]

8% (1998 est.)

Public debt [time series]

45.5% of GDP (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold (Reserves of foreign exchange & gold) [time series]

$44.58 billion (2003)

Unemployment rate [time series]

3.6% (2003 est.)

Geography

Area [time series]

total: 329,750 sq km land: 328,550 sq km water: 1,200 sq km

Area - comparative [time series]

slightly larger than New Mexico

Climate [time series]

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

Coastline [time series]

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

Elevation (Elevation extremes) [time series]

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Gunung Kinabalu 4,100 m

Environment - current issues [time series]

air pollution from industrial and vehicular emissions; water pollution from raw sewage; deforestation; smoke/haze from Indonesian forest fires

International environmental agreements (Environment - international agreements) [time series]

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

Geographic coordinates [time series]

2 30 N, 112 30 E

Geography - note [time series]

strategic location along Strait of Malacca and southern South China Sea

Irrigated land [time series]

3,650 sq km (1998 est.)

Land boundaries [time series]

total: 2,669 km border countries: Brunei 381 km, Indonesia 1,782 km, Thailand 506 km

Land use [time series]

arable land: 5.48% permanent crops: 17.61% other: 76.91% (2001)

Location [time series]

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

Map references [time series]

Southeast Asia

Maritime claims [time series]

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

Natural hazards [time series]

flooding, landslides, forest fires

Natural resources [time series]

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

Terrain [time series]

coastal plains rising to hills and mountains

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

13 states (negeri-negeri, singular - negeri) Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Pulau Pinang, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor, and Terengganu; and one federal territory (wilayah persekutuan) with three components, city of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan, and Putrajaya

Capital [time series]

Kuala Lumpur note: Putrajaya is referred to as administrative center not capital; Parliament meets in Kuala Lumpur

Constitution [time series]

31 August 1957, amended 16 September 1963

Country name [time series]

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Malaysia former: Federation of Malaysia

Diplomatic representation from the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Christopher J. LAFLEUR embassy: 376 Jalan Tun Razak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur mailing address: P. O. Box No. 10035, 50700 Kuala Lumpur; American Embassy Kuala Lumpur, APO AP 96535-8152 telephone: [60] (3) 2168-5000 FAX: [60] (3) 2142-2207

Diplomatic representation in the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador GHAZZALI bin Sheikh Abdul Khalid chancery: 3516 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 572-9700 FAX: [1] (202) 572-9882 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York

Executive branch [time series]

chief of state: Paramount Ruler Tuanku SYED SIRAJUDDIN ibni Almarhum Tuanku Syed Putra Jamalullail, the Raja of Perlis (since 12 December 2001) head of government: Prime Minister ABDULLAH bin Ahmad Badawi (since 31 October 2003); Deputy Prime Minister NAJIB Tun Razak (since 7 January 2004) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister from among the members of Parliament with consent of the paramount ruler elections: paramount ruler elected by and from the hereditary rulers of nine of the states for five-year terms; election last held 12 December 2001 (next to be held NA 2006); prime minister designated from among the members of the House of Representatives; following legislative elections, the leader of the party that wins a plurality of seats in the House of Representatives becomes prime minister election results: Tuanku SYED SIRAJUDDIN ibni Almarhum Tuanku Syed Putra Jamalullail elected paramount ruler

Flag (Flag description) [time series]

14 equal horizontal stripes of red (top) alternating with white (bottom); there is a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a yellow crescent and a yellow 14-pointed star; the crescent and the star are traditional symbols of Islam; the design was based on the flag of the US

Government type [time series]

constitutional monarchy note: Malaya (what is now Peninsular Malaysia) formed 31 August 1957; Federation of Malaysia (Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore) formed 9 July 1963 (Singapore left Federation on 9 August 1965); nominally headed by paramount ruler and a bicameral Parliament consisting of a nonelected upper house and an elected lower house; all Peninsular Malaysian states have hereditary rulers except Melaka and Penang; those two states along with Sabah and Sarawak in East Malaysia have governors appointed by Malaysian Government; powers of state governments are limited by federal constitution; under terms of federation, Sabah and Sarawak retain certain constitutional prerogatives (e.g., right to maintain their own immigration controls); Sabah - currently holds 20 seats in House of Representatives and will hold 25 seats after the next election; Sarawak holds 28 seats in House of Representatives

Independence [time series]

31 August 1957 (from UK)

International organization participation [time series]

ABEDA, APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, BIS, C, CP, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OIC, ONUB, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNMIL, UNMISET, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Judicial branch [time series]

Federal Court (judges appointed by the paramount ruler on the advice of the prime minister)

Legal system [time series]

based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court at request of supreme head of the federation; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch [time series]

bicameral Parliament or Parlimen consists of the Senate or Dewan Negara (70 seats; 44 appointed by the paramount ruler, 26 appointed by the state legislatures) and the House of Representatives or Dewan Rakyat (219 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: House of Representatives - last held 21 March 2004 (next must be held by 2009) election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - BN 91%, DAP 5%, PAS 3%, other 1%; seats by party - BN 199, DAP 12, PAS 6, Keadilan 1, independent 1

National holiday [time series]

Independence Day/Malaysia Day, 31 August (1957)

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

ruling-coalition National Front (Barisan Nasional) or BN, consisting of the following parties: Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia Party or PGRM [LIM Keng Yaik]; Liberal Democratic Party (Parti Liberal Demokratik - Sabah) or LDP [CHONG Kah Kiat]; Malaysian Chinese Association (Persatuan China Malaysia) or MCA [ONG Ka Ting]; Malaysian Indian Congress (Kongresi India Malaysia) or MIC [S. Samy VELLU]; Parti Bersatu Pakyat Sabah or PBRS [Joseph KURUP]; Parti Bersatu Sabah or PBS [Joseph PAIRIN Kitingan]; Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu or PBB [Patinggi Haji Abdul TAIB Mahmud]; Parti Rakyat Sarawak or PRS [James MASING]; Sabah Progressive Party (Parti Progresif Sabah) or SAPP [YONG Teck Lee]; Sarawak United People's Party (Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sarawak) or SUPP [George CHAN Hong Nam]; United Malays National Organization or UMNO [ABDULLAH Ahmad Badawi]; United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organization (Pertubuhan Pasko Momogun Kadazan Dusun Bersatu) or UPKO [Bernard DOMPOK]; People's Progressive Party (Parti Progresif Penduduk Malaysia) or PPP [M.Keyveas]; Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party or SPDP [William MAWANI]; opposition parties: Democratic Action Party (Parti Tindakan Demokratik) or DAP [KARPAL Singh]; Islamic Party of Malaysia (Parti Islam se Malaysia) or PAS [Abdul HADI Awang]; People's Justice Party (Parti Keadilan Rakyat) or PKR [WAN AZIZAH Wan Ismael]; Sarawak National Party or SNAP [Edwin DANDUNG]; opposition coalition Alternative Front (Barisan Alternatif) or BA consists of PAS and PKR

Political parties (Political pressure groups and leaders) [time series]

Suffrage [time series]

21 years of age; universal

Introduction

Background [time series]

During the late 18th and 19th centuries, Great Britain established colonies and protectorates in the area of current Malaysia; these were occupied by Japan from 1942 to 1945. In 1948, the British-ruled territories on the Malay Peninsula formed the Federation of Malaya, which became independent in 1957. Malaysia was formed in 1963 when the former British colonies of Singapore and the East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak on the northern coast of Borneo joined the Federation. The first several years of the country's history were marred by Indonesian efforts to control Malaysia, Philippine claims to Sabah, and Singapore's secession from the Federation in 1965.

Military

Military and security forces (Military branches) [time series]

Malaysian Army, Royal Malaysian Navy, Royal Malaysian Air Force, Royal Malaysian Marine Police, Sarawak Border Scouts

Military expenditures - dollar figure [time series]

$1.69 billion (FY00 est.)

Military expenditures (Military expenditures - percent of GDP) [time series]

2.03% (FY00)

Military manpower - availability [time series]

males age 15-49: 6,193,587 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service [time series]

males age 15-49: 3,746,960 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - military age and obligation [time series]

18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually [time series]

males: 223,466 (2004 est.)

People

Age structure [time series]

0-14 years: 33.3% (male 4,033,037; female 3,806,451) 15-64 years: 62.1% (male 7,326,068; female 7,289,783) 65 years and over: 4.5% (male 469,499; female 597,644) (2004 est.)

Birth rate [time series]

23.37 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate [time series]

5.08 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Ethnic groups [time series]

Malay and other indigenous 58%, Chinese 24%, Indian 8%, others 10% (2000)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate [time series]

0.4% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths [time series]

2,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS [time series]

52,000 (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate [time series]

total: 18.35 deaths/1,000 live births male: 21.23 deaths/1,000 live births female: 15.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)

Languages [time series]

Bahasa Melayu (official), English, Chinese dialects (Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan, Foochow), Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Panjabi, Thai; note - in addition, in East Malaysia several indigenous languages are spoken, the largest are Iban and Kadazan

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 71.95 years male: 69.29 years female: 74.81 years (2004 est.)

Literacy [time series]

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 88.7% male: 92% female: 85.4% (2002)

Median age [time series]

total: 23.8 years male: 23.2 years female: 24.4 years (2004 est.)

Nationality [time series]

noun: Malaysian(s) adjective: Malaysian

Net migration rate [time series]

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: does not reflect net flow of an unknown number of illegal immigrants from other countries in the region (2004 est.)

Population [time series]

23,522,482 (July 2004 est.)

Population growth rate [time series]

1.83% (2004 est.)

Religions [time series]

Muslim, Buddhist, Daoist, Hindu, Christian, Sikh; note - in addition, Shamanism is practiced in East Malaysia

Sex ratio [time series]

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate [time series]

3.1 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international [time series]

involved in complex dispute with China, Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam and possibly Brunei over the Spratly Islands; the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea" has eased tensions but falls short of a legally binding "code of conduct" desired by several of the disputants; disputes over deliveries of fresh water to Singapore, Singapore's land reclamation, bridge construction, maritime boundaries, and Pedra Branca Island/Pulau Batu Putih persist - parties agree to ICJ arbitration on island dispute within three years; ICJ awarded Ligitan and Sipadan islands off the coast of Sabah, also claimed by Indonesia and Philippines, to Malaysia; a 1 kilometer segment at the mouth of the Golok River remains in dispute with Thailand; Philippines retains a now dormant claim to Malaysia's Sabah State in northern Borneo based on the Sultanate of Sulu's granting the Philippines Government power of attorney to pursue the Sultanate's sovereignty claim; in 2003 Brunei and Malaysia ceased gas and oil exploration in their offshore and deepwater seabeds until negotiations progress to an agreement over allocation of disputed areas; Malaysia's land boundary with Brunei around Limbang is in dispute

Illicit drugs [time series]

transit point for some illicit drugs; drug trafficking prosecuted vigorously and carries severe penalties

Transportation

Airports [time series]

117 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways [time series]

total: 38 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 10 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 7 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways [time series]

total: 79 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 6 under 914 m: 72 (2004 est.)

Heliports [time series]

1 (2003 est.)

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

total: 65,877 km paved: 49,935 km (including 1,192 km of expressways) unpaved: 15,942 km (1999)

Merchant marine [time series]

total: 360 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 5,389,397 GRT/7,539,178 DWT by type: bulk 59, cargo 100, chemical tanker 38, container 66, liquefied gas 25, livestock carrier 1, passenger 2, petroleum tanker 56, roll on/roll off 5, vehicle carrier 8 foreign-owned: China 1, Germany 2, Hong Kong 8, Indonesia 2, Japan 2, South Korea 1, Liberia 1, Monaco 1, Norway 1, Philippines 2, Singapore 81, Vietnam 1 registered in other countries: 75 (2004 est.)

Pipelines [time series]

condensate 279 km; gas 5,047 km; oil 1,841 km; refined products 114 km (2004)

Ports (Ports and harbors) [time series]

Bintulu, Kota Kinabalu, Kuantan, Kuching, Kudat, Labuan, Lahad Datu, Lumut, Miri, Pasir Gudang, George Town (Penang), Port Dickson, Port Kelang, Sandakan, Sibu, Tanjung Berhala, Tanjung Kidurong, Tawau

Railways [time series]

total: 2,418 km (207 km electrified) standard gauge: 57 km 1.435-m gauge (57 km electrified) narrow gauge: 2,361 km 1.000-m gauge (150 km electrified) (2003)

Waterways [time series]

7,200 km note: Peninsular Malaysia 3,200 km, Sabah 1,500 km, Sarawak 2,500 km (2004)