6/1/2011 CIA - The World Factbook

EA ST & SOUTHEA ST A SIA :: MALAYSIA

P AGE LAST U P D AT E D ON D E C E M BE R 2 2 , 20 1 0

In t r o d u ct io n :: MA LA Y SIA
Back g r o u n d :

Dur ing the late 18th and 19th c entur ies , Gr eat Br itain es tablis hed c olonies and
pr otec tor ates in the ar ea of c ur r ent Malay s ia; thes e w er e oc c upied by Japan f r om 1942 to
1945. In 1948, the Br itis h- r uled ter r itor ies on the Malay Penins ula f or med the Feder ation of
Malay a, w hic h bec ame independent in 1957. Malay s ia w as f or med in 1963 w hen the f or mer
Br itis h c olonies of Singapor e and the Eas t Malay s ian s tates of Sabah and Sar aw ak on the
nor ther n c oas t of Bor neo joined the Feder ation. The f ir s t s ev er al y ear s of the c ountr y 's
his tor y w er e mar r ed by a Communis t ins ur genc y , Indones ian c onf r ontation w ith Malay s ia,
Philippine c laims to Sabah, and Singapor e's s ec es s ion f r om the Feder ation in 1965. Dur ing
the 22- y ear ter m of Pr ime Minis ter MA HA THIR bin Mohamad ( 1981- 2003) , Malay s ia w as
s uc c es s f ul in div er s if y ing its ec onomy f r om dependenc e on ex por ts of r aw mater ials to
ex pans ion in manuf ac tur ing, s er v ic es , and tour is m.

Ge o g r ap h y :: MA LA Y SIA
L o cat io n :

Southeas ter n A s ia, penins ula bor der ing Thailand and nor ther n one- thir d of the is land of
Bor neo, bor der ing Indones ia, Br unei, and the South China Sea, s outh of V ietnam

Ge o g r ap h ic co o r d in at e s :

2 30 N, 112 30 E

M ap r e f e r e n ce s :

Southeas t A s ia

Ar e a:

t o t al: 329,847 s q km
co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 66
lan d : 328,657 s q km
w at e r : 1,190 s q km

Ar e a - co m p ar at ive :

cia.gov/…/countrytemplate_my.html 1/16
6/1/2011 CIA - The World Factbook
s lightly lar ger than New Mex ic o

L an d b o u n d ar ie s :

t o t al: 2,669 km
b o r d e r co u n t r ie s : Br unei 381 km, Indones ia 1,782 km, Thailand 506 km

Co as t lin e :

4,675 km ( Penins ular Malay s ia 2,068 km, Eas t Malay s ia 2,607 km)

M ar it im e claim s :

t e r r it o r ial s e a: 12 nm
e xclu s ive e co n o m ic z o n e : 200 nm
co n t in e n t al s h e lf : 200 m depth or to the depth of ex ploitation; s pec if ied boundar y in the
South China Sea

Clim at e :

Cur r ent Weather

tr opic al; annual s outhw es t ( A pr il to Oc tober ) and nor theas t ( Oc tober to Febr uar y )
mons oons

T e r r ain :

c oas tal plains r is ing to hills and mountains

Ele vat io n e xt r e m e s :

lo w e s t p o in t : Indian Oc ean 0 m
h ig h e s t p o in t : Gunung Kinabalu 4,100 m

Nat u r al r e s o u r ce s :

tin, petr oleum, timber , c opper , ir on or e, natur al gas , baux ite

L an d u s e :

ar ab le lan d : 5.46%
p e r m an e n t cr o p s : 17.54%
o t h e r : 77% ( 2005)

Ir r ig at e d lan d :

3,650 s q km ( 2003)

T o t al r e n e w ab le w at e r r e s o u r ce s :

580 c u km ( 1999)

Fr e s h w at e r w it h d r aw al ( d o m e s t ic/in d u s t r ial/ag r icu lt u r al) :

t o t al: 9.02 c u km/y r ( 17% /21% /62% )

p e r cap it a: 356 c u m/y r ( 2000)

Nat u r al h az ar d s :

f looding; lands lides ; f or es t f ir es

En vir o n m e n t - cu r r e n t is s u e s :

air pollution f r om indus tr ial and v ehic ular emis s ions ; w ater pollution f r om r aw s ew age;
cia.gov/…/countrytemplate_my.html 2/16
6/1/2011 CIA - The World Factbook
def or es tation; s moke/haz e f r om Indones ian f or es t f ir es

En vir o n m e n t - in t e r n at io n al ag r e e m e n t s :

p ar t y t o : Biodiv er s ity , Climate Change, Climate Change- Ky oto Pr otoc ol, Des er tif ic ation,
Endanger ed Spec ies , Haz ar dous Was tes , Law of the Sea, Mar ine Lif e Cons er v ation,
Oz one Lay er Pr otec tion, Ship Pollution, Tr opic al Timber 83, Tr opic al Timber 94, Wetlands
s ig n e d , b u t n o t r at if ie d : none of the s elec ted agr eements

Ge o g r ap h y - n o t e :

s tr ategic loc ation along Str ait of Malac c a and s outher n South China Sea

Pe o p le :: MA LA Y SIA
Po p u lat io n :

28,274,729 ( July 2010 es t.)

co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 43

Ag e s t r u ct u r e :

0- 14 ye ar s : 31.4% ( male 4,153,621/f emale 3,914,962)

15- 64 ye ar s : 63.6% ( male 8,210,373/f emale 8,143,043)
65 ye ar s an d o ve r : 5% ( male 569,245/f emale 724,575) ( 2010 es t.)

M e d ian ag e :

t o t al: 26.5 y ear s

m ale : 26.4 y ear s
f e m ale : 26.7 y ear s ( 2010 es t.)

Po p u lat io n g r o w t h r at e :

1.609% ( 2010 es t.)

co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 76

Bir t h r at e :

21.41 bir ths /1,000 population ( 2010 es t.)

co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 84

De at h r at e :

4.92 deaths /1,000 population ( July 2010 es t.)

co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 191

Ne t m ig r at io n r at e :

- 0.4 migr ant( s ) /1,000 population

co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 140
n o t e: does not r ef lec t net f low of an unknow n number of illegal immigr ants f r om other
c ountr ies in the r egion ( 2009 es t.)

Ur b an iz at io n :

u r b an p o p u lat io n : 70% of total population ( 2008)

r at e o f u r b an iz at io n : 3% annual r ate of c hange ( 2005- 10 es t.)

Se x r at io :

cia.gov/…/countrytemplate_my.html 3/16
6/1/2011 CIA - The World Factbook
at b ir t h : 1.069 male( s ) /f emale
u n d e r 15 ye ar s : 1.06 male( s ) /f emale
15- 64 ye ar s : 1.01 male( s ) /f emale
65 ye ar s an d o ve r : 0.79 male( s ) /f emale
t o t al p o p u lat io n : 1.01 male( s ) /f emale ( 2010 es t.)

In f an t m o r t alit y r at e :

t o t al: 15.5 deaths /1,000 liv e bir ths

co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 121
m ale : 17.92 deaths /1,000 liv e bir ths
f e m ale : 12.91 deaths /1,000 liv e bir ths ( 2010 es t.)

L if e e xp e ct an cy at b ir t h :

t o t al p o p u lat io n : 73.55 y ear s

co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 113
m ale : 70.81 y ear s
f e m ale : 76.48 y ear s ( 2010 es t.)

T o t al f e r t ilit y r at e :

2.7 c hildr en bor n/w oman ( 2010 es t.)

co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 78

HIV /AIDS - ad u lt p r e vale n ce r at e :

0.5% ( 2007 es t.)

co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 77

HIV /AIDS - p e o p le livin g w it h HIV /AIDS:

80,000 ( 2007 es t.)

co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 50

HIV /AIDS - d e at h s :

3,900 ( 2007 es t.)

co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 52

M ajo r in f e ct io u s d is e as e s :

d e g r e e o f r is k : high
f o o d o r w at e r b o r n e d is e as e s : bac ter ial diar r hea
ve ct o r b o r n e d is e as e s : dengue f ev er and malar ia
n o t e: highly pathogenic H5N1 av ian inf luenz a has been identif ied in this c ountr y ; it pos es
a negligible r is k w ith ex tr emely r ar e c as es pos s ible among US c itiz ens w ho hav e c los e
c ontac t w ith bir ds ( 2009)

Nat io n alit y:

n o u n : Malay s ian( s )
ad je ct ive : Malay s ian

Et h n ic g r o u p s :

Malay 50.4% , Chines e 23.7% , indigenous 11% , Indian 7.1% , other s 7.8% ( 2004 es t.)

Re lig io n s :
cia.gov/…/countrytemplate_my.html 4/16
6/1/2011 CIA - The World Factbook

Mus lim 60.4% , Buddhis t 19.2% , Chr is tian 9.1% , Hindu 6.3% , Conf uc ianis m, Taois m, other
tr aditional Chines e r eligions 2.6% , other or unknow n 1.5% , none 0.8% ( 2000 c ens us )

L an g u ag e s :

Bahas a Malay s ia ( of f ic ial) , Englis h, Chines e ( Cantones e, Mandar in, Hokkien, Hakka,
Hainan, Fooc how ) , Tamil, Telugu, Malay alam, Panjabi, Thai
n o t e: in Eas t Malay s ia ther e ar e s ev er al indigenous languages ; mos t w idely s poken ar e
Iban and Kadaz an

L it e r acy:

d e f in it io n : age 15 and ov er c an r ead and w r ite

t o t al p o p u lat io n : 88.7%
m ale : 92%
f e m ale : 85.4% ( 2000 c ens us )

Sch o o l lif e e xp e ct an cy ( p r im ar y t o t e r t iar y e d u cat io n ) :

t o t al: 13 y ear s
m ale : 12 y ear s
f e m ale : 13 y ear s ( 2007)

Ed u cat io n e xp e n d it u r e s :

4.5% of GDP ( 2007)

co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 90

Go ve r n m e n t :: MA LA Y SIA
Co u n t r y n am e :

co n ve n t io n al lo n g f o r m : none
co n ve n t io n al s h o r t f o r m : Malay s ia
lo cal lo n g f o r m : none
lo cal s h o r t f o r m : Malay s ia
f o r m e r : Feder ation of Malay a

Go ve r n m e n t t yp e :

c ons titutional monar c hy

n o t e: nominally headed by par amount r uler ( c ommonly r ef er r ed to as the King) and a
bic amer al Par liament c ons is ting of a nonelec ted upper hous e and an elec ted low er hous e;
all Penins ular Malay s ian s tates hav e her editar y r uler s ( c ommonly r ef er r ed to as s ultans )
ex c ept Melaka and Pulau Pinang ( Penang) ; thos e tw o s tates along w ith Sabah and
Sar aw ak in Eas t Malay s ia hav e gov er nor s appointed by gov er nment; pow er s of s tate
gov er nments ar e limited by f eder al c ons titution; under ter ms of f eder ation, Sabah and
Sar aw ak r etain c er tain c ons titutional pr er ogativ es ( e.g., r ight to maintain their ow n
immigr ation c ontr ols )

Cap it al:

n am e : Kuala Lumpur
g e o g r ap h ic co o r d in at e s : 3 10 N, 101 42 E
t im e d if f e r e n ce : UTC+8 ( 13 hour s ahead of Was hington, DC dur ing Standar d Time)
n o t e: Putr ajay a is r ef er r ed to as adminis tr ativ e c enter not c apital; Par liament meets in
Kuala Lumpur

cia.gov/…/countrytemplate_my.html 5/16
6/1/2011 CIA - The World Factbook
Ad m in is t r at ive d ivis io n s :
13 s tates ( neger i- neger i, s ingular - neger i) Johor , Kedah, Kelantan, Melaka, Neger i
Sembilan, Pahang, Per ak, Per lis , Pulau Pinang, Sabah, Sar aw ak, Selangor , and
Ter engganu; and 1 f eder al ter r itor y ( Wilay ah Per s ekutuan) w ith thr ee c omponents , c ity of
Kuala Lumpur , Labuan, and Putr ajay a

In d e p e n d e n ce :

31 A ugus t 1957 ( f r om the UK)

Nat io n al h o lid ay:

Independenc e Day /Malay s ia Day , 31 A ugus t ( 1957)

Co n s t it u t io n :

31 A ugus t 1957; amended many times the lates t in 2007

L e g al s ys t e m :

bas ed on Englis h c ommon law ; judic ial r ev iew of legis lativ e ac ts in the Supr eme Cour t at
r eques t of s upr eme head of the f eder ation; Is lamic law is applied to Mus lims in matter s of
f amily law and r eligion; has not ac c epted c ompuls or y ICJ jur is dic tion

Su f f r ag e :

21 y ear s of age; univ er s al

Exe cu t ive b r an ch :

ch ie f o f s t at e : King - Sultan MIZ A N Z ainal A bidin ( s inc e 13 Dec ember 2006) ; ( the pos ition
of the king is pr imar ily c er emonial)
h e ad o f g o ve r n m e n t : Pr ime Minis ter Mohamed NA JIB bin A bdul Raz ak ( s inc e 3 A pr il
2009) ; Deputy Pr ime Minis ter MUHY IDDIN bin Mohamed Y as s in ( s inc e 9 A pr il 2009)
cab in e t : Cabinet appointed by the pr ime minis ter f r om among the member s of Par liament
w ith c ons ent of the king
( For mor e inf or mation v is it the Wor ld Leader s w ebs ite )
e le ct io n s : kings elec ted by and f r om the her editar y r uler s of nine of the s tates f or f iv e-
y ear ter ms ; s elec tion bas ed on pr inc iple of r otation among r uler s of s tates ; elec tion las t
held on 3 Nov ember 2006 ( nex t to be held in 2011) ; pr ime minis ter des ignated f r om among
the member s of the Hous e of Repr es entativ es ; f ollow ing legis lativ e elec tions , the leader
w ho c ommands the s uppor t of the major ity of member s in the Hous e bec omes pr ime
minis ter ( s inc e independenc e this has been the leader of the UMNO par ty )
e le ct io n r e s u lt s : Sultan MIZ A N Z ainal A bidin elec ted king

L e g is lat ive b r an ch :

bic amer al Par liament or Par limen c ons is ts of Senate or Dew an Negar a ( 70 s eats ; 44
member s appointed by the king, 26 elec ted by 13 s tate legis latur es to s er v e thr ee- y ear
ter ms w ith a tw o ter m limit) and Hous e of Repr es entativ es or Dew an Raky at ( 222 s eats ;
member s elec ted by popular v ote to s er v e up to f iv e- y ear ter ms )
e le ct io n s : Hous e of Repr es entativ es - las t held on 8 Mar c h 2008 ( nex t to be held by June
2013)
e le ct io n r e s u lt s : Hous e of Repr es entativ es - per c ent of v ote - BN c oalition 50.3% ,
oppos ition par ties 46.8% , other s 2.9% ; s eats - BN c oalition 140, oppos ition par ties 82

Ju d icial b r an ch :

c iv il c our ts inc lude Feder al Cour t, Cour t of A ppeal, High Cour t of Malay a on penins ula
Malay s ia, and High Cour t of Sabah and Sar aw ak in s tates of Bor neo ( judges ar e appointed

cia.gov/…/countrytemplate_my.html 6/16
6/1/2011 CIA - The World Factbook
by the king on the adv ic e of the pr ime minis ter ) ; s har ia c our ts inc lude Shar ia A ppeal Cour t,
Shar ia High Cour t, and Shar ia Subor dinate Cour ts at s tate- lev el and deal w ith r eligious and
f amily matter s s uc h as c us tody , div or c e, and inher itanc e only f or Mus lims ; dec is ions of
s har ia c our ts c annot be appealed to c iv il c our ts

Po lit ical p ar t ie s an d le ad e r s :

Nat io n al Fr o n t ( Bar is an Nas io n al) o r BN ( r u lin g co alit io n ) co n s is t s o f t h e f o llo w in g

p ar t ie s : Ger akan Raky at Malay s ia Par ty or PGRM [KOH Ts u Koon]; Liber al Democ r atic
Par ty ( Par ti Liber al Demokr atik - Sabah) or LDP [LIEW V ui Keong]; Malay s ian Chines e
A s s oc iation ( Per s atuan China Malay s ia) or MCA [CHUA Soi Lek]; Malay s ian Indian
Congr es s ( Kongr es India Malay s ia) or MIC [S. Samy V ELLU]; Par ti Ber s atu Raky at Sabah or
PBRS [Jos eph KURUP]; Par ti Ber s atu Sabah or PBS [Jos eph PA IRIN Kitingan]; Par ti Pes aka
Bumiputer a Ber s atu or PBB [A bdul TA IB Mahmud]; Par ti Raky at Sar aw ak or PRS [James
MA SING]; Sar aw ak United People's Par ty ( Par ti Ber s atu Raky at Sar aw ak) or SUPP [Geor ge
CHA N Hong Nam]; United Malay s National Or ganiz ation or UMNO [NA JIB bin A bdul Raz ak];
United Pas okmomogun Kadaz andus un Mur ut Or ganiz ation ( Per tubuhan Pas ko Momogun
Kadaz an Dus un Ber s atu) or UPKO [Ber nar d DOMPOK]; People's Pr ogr es s iv e Par ty ( Par ti
Pr ogr es if Penduduk Malay s ia) or PPP [M.Kay v eas ]; Sar aw ak Pr ogr es s iv e Democ r atic Par ty
or SPDP [William MA WA N])
Pe o p le ' s Allian ce ( Pak at an Rak yat ) o r PR ( o p p o s it io n co alit io n ) co n s is t s o f t h e
f o llo w in g p ar t ie s : Democ r atic A c tion Par ty ( Par ti Tindakan Demokr atik) or DA P [KA RPA L
Singh]; Is lamic Par ty of Malay s ia ( Par ti Is lam s e Malay s ia) or PA S [A bdul HA DI A w ang];
People's Jus tic e Par ty ( Par ti Keadilan Raky at) or PKR [WA N A Z IZ A H Wan Is mail]; Sar aw ak
National Par ty or SNA P [Edw in DUNDA NG]
in d e p e n d e n t p ar t y: Sabah Pr ogr es s iv e Par ty ( Par ti Pr ogr es if Saban) or SA PP [Y ONG
Tec k Lee]

Po lit ical p r e s s u r e g r o u p s an d le ad e r s :

Bar Counc il BERSIH ( elec tor al r ef or m c oalition) ; PEMBELA ( Mus lim NGO c oalition)
o t h e r : r eligious gr oups ; w omen's gr oups ; y outh gr oups

In t e r n at io n al o r g an iz at io n p ar t icip at io n :

A DB, A PEC, A RF, A SEA N, BIS, C, CICA ( obs er v er ) , CP, D- 8, EA S, FA O, G- 15, G- 77, IA EA ,
IBRD, ICA O, ICC, ICRM, IDA , IDB, IFA D, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Inter pol, IOC,
IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA , MINURSO, MONUC, NA M, OIC, OPCW, PCA , PIF ( par tner ) ,
UN, UNA MID, UNCTA D, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNWTO, UPU, WCO,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Dip lo m at ic r e p r e s e n t at io n in t h e US:

ch ie f o f m is s io n : A mbas s ador JA MA LUDDIN Jar jis

ch an ce r y: 3516 Inter national Cour t NW, Was hington, DC 20008
t e le p h o n e : [1] ( 202) 572- 9700
FAX: [1] ( 202) 572- 9882
co n s u lat e ( s ) g e n e r al: Los A ngeles , New Y or k

Dip lo m at ic r e p r e s e n t at io n f r o m t h e US:

ch ie f o f m is s io n : A mbas s ador Paul W. JONES

e m b as s y: 376 Jalan Tun Raz ak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur
m ailin g ad d r e s s : US Embas s y Kuala Lumpur , A PO A P 96535- 8152
t e le p h o n e : [60] ( 3) 2168- 5000
FAX: [60] ( 3) 2142- 2207

Flag d e s cr ip t io n :

cia.gov/…/countrytemplate_my.html 7/16
6/1/2011 CIA - The World Factbook
14 equal hor iz ontal s tr ipes of r ed ( top) alter nating w ith w hite ( bottom) ; ther e is a blue
r ec tangle in the upper hois t- s ide c or ner bear ing a y ellow c r es c ent and a y ellow 14- pointed
s tar ; the f lag is of ten r ef er r ed to as Jalur Gemilang ( Str ipes of Glor y ) ; the 14 s tr ipes s tand
f or the equal s tatus in the f eder ation of the 13 member s tates and the f eder al gov er nment;
the 14 points on the s tar r epr es ent the unity betw een thes e entities ; the c r es c ent is a
tr aditional s y mbol of Is lam; blue s y mboliz es the unity of the Malay people and y ellow is the
r oy al c olor of Malay r uler s
n o t e: the des ign is bas ed on the f lag of the US

Nat io n al an t h e m :

n am e : "Negar aku" ( My Countr y )

lyr ics /m u s ic: c ollec tiv e, led by Tunku A BDUL RA HMA N/Pier r e Jean DE BERA NGER
n o t e: adopted 1957; the f ull v er s ion is only per f or med in the pr es enc e of the king; the
tune, w hic h w as adopted f r om a popular Fr enc h melody titled "La Ros alie," w as or iginally
the anthem of the s tate of Per ak

Eco n o m y :: MA LA Y SIA
Eco n o m y - o ve r vie w :

Malay s ia, a middle- inc ome c ountr y , has tr ans f or med its elf s inc e the 1970s f r om a pr oduc er
of r aw mater ials into an emer ging multi- s ec tor ec onomy . A f ter c oming to of f ic e in 2003,
f or mer Pr ime Minis ter A BDULLA H tr ied to mov e the ec onomy f ar ther up the v alue- added
pr oduc tion c hain by attr ac ting inv es tments in high tec hnology indus tr ies , medic al
tec hnology , and phar mac eutic als , an ef f or t that c ontinues under c ur r ent Pr ime Minis ter
NA JIB. The NA JIB adminis tr ation als o is c ontinuing ef f or ts to boos t domes tic demand and to
w ean the ec onomy of f of its dependenc e on ex por ts . Nev er theles s , ex por ts - par tic ular ly
of elec tr onic s - r emain a s ignif ic ant dr iv er of the ec onomy . A s an oil and gas ex por ter ,
Malay s ia has pr of ited f r om higher w or ld ener gy pr ic es , although the r is ing c os t of
domes tic gas oline and dies el f uel, c ombined w ith s tr ained gov er nment f inanc es , has
f or c ed Kuala Lumpur to r educ e gov er nment s ubs idies . The gov er nment is als o tr y ing to
les s en its dependenc e on s tate oil pr oduc er Petr onas , w hic h s upplies 40% of gov er nment
r ev enue. The c entr al bank maintains healthy f or eign ex c hange r es er v es and its w ell-
dev eloped r egulator y r egime has limited Malay s ia's ex pos ur e to r is kier f inanc ial
ins tr uments and the global f inanc ial c r is is . Nev er theles s , dec r eas ing w or ldw ide demand
f or c ons umer goods hur t Malay s ia's ex por ts and ec onomic gr ow th in 2009, although both
began s how ing s igns of r ec ov er y late in the y ear . In June 2010 NA JIB w ill intr oduc e the
Tenth Malay s ia Plan, outlining new r ef or ms . NA JIB alr eady has intr oduc ed s ev er al r ef or ms
in the s er v ic es s ec tor in a bid to attr ac t dir ec t f or eign inv es tment, w hic h has s tagnated in
r ec ent y ear s .

GDP ( p u r ch as in g p o w e r p ar it y) :

$383 billion ( 2009 es t.)

co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 31
$389.6 billion ( 2008 es t.)
$372.1 billion ( 2007 es t.)
n o t e: data ar e in 2009 US dollar s

GDP ( o f f icial e xch an g e r at e ) :

$193 billion ( 2009 es t.)

GDP - r e al g r o w t h r at e :

- 1.7% ( 2009 es t.)

co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 146

cia.gov/…/countrytemplate_my.html 8/16
6/1/2011 CIA - The World Factbook
4.7% ( 2008 es t.)
6.5% ( 2007 es t.)

GDP - p e r cap it a ( PPP) :

$13,800 ( 2009 es t.)

co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 82
$14,200 ( 2008 es t.)
$13,800 ( 2007 es t.)
n o t e: data ar e in 2009 US dollar s

GDP - co m p o s it io n b y s e ct o r :

ag r icu lt u r e : 9.4%
in d u s t r y: 40.9%
s e r vice s : 49.7% ( 2009 es t.)

L ab o r f o r ce :

11.38 million ( 2009 es t.)

co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 44

L ab o r f o r ce - b y o ccu p at io n :

ag r icu lt u r e : 13%
in d u s t r y: 36%
s e r vice s : 51% ( 2005 es t.)

Un e m p lo ym e n t r at e :

3.7% ( 2009 es t.)

co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 33
3.3% ( 2008 es t.)

Po p u lat io n b e lo w p o ve r t y lin e :

5.1% ( 2002 es t.)

Ho u s e h o ld in co m e o r co n s u m p t io n b y p e r ce n t ag e s h ar e :

lo w e s t 10%: 2.6%
h ig h e s t 10%: 28.5% ( 2005 es t.)

Dis t r ib u t io n o f f am ily in co m e - Gin i in d e x:

46.1 ( 2002)
co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 36
49.2 ( 1997)

In ve s t m e n t ( g r o s s f ixe d ) :

20.1% of GDP ( 2009 es t.)

co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 94

Bu d g e t :

r e ve n u e s : $45.01 billion
e xp e n d it u r e s : $58.46 billion ( 2009 es t.)

cia.gov/…/countrytemplate_my.html 9/16
6/1/2011 CIA - The World Factbook
Pu b lic d e b t :

53.3% of GDP ( 2009 es t.)

co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 42
41.4% of GDP ( 2008 es t.)

In f lat io n r at e ( co n s u m e r p r ice s ) :

0.6% ( 2009 es t.)

co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 39
5.4% ( 2008 es t.)
n o t e: appr ox imately 30% of goods ar e pr ic e- c ontr olled

Ce n t r al b an k d is co u n t r at e :

1% ( 31 Dec ember 2009)

NA % ( 31 Dec ember 2008)

Co m m e r cial b an k p r im e le n d in g r at e :

5.08% ( 31 Dec ember 2009 es t.)

co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 137
6.08% ( 31 Dec ember 2008 es t.)

St o ck o f n ar r o w m o n e y:

$58.75 billion ( 31 Dec ember 2009)

$52.84 billion ( 31 Dec ember 2008)

St o ck o f b r o ad m o n e y:

$290.1 billion ( 31 Dec ember 2009)

$266.1 billion ( 31 Dec ember 2008)

St o ck o f d o m e s t ic cr e d it :

$265.2 billion ( 31 Dec ember 2009 es t.)

co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 32
$256 billion ( 31 Dec ember 2008 es t.)

M ar k e t valu e o f p u b licly t r ad e d s h ar e s :

$263.4 billion ( 31 Dec ember 2009)

co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 26
$187.1 billion ( 31 Dec ember 2008)
$325.7 billion ( 31 Dec ember 2007)

Ag r icu lt u r e - p r o d u ct s :

Penins ular Malay s ia - r ubber , palm oil, c oc oa, r ic e; Sabah - s ubs is tenc e c r ops , c oc onuts ,
r ic e; r ubber , timber ; Sar aw ak - r ubber , timber ; pepper

In d u s t r ie s :

Penins ular Malay s ia - r ubber and oil palm pr oc es s ing and manuf ac tur ing, light
manuf ac tur ing, phar mac eutic als , medic al tec hnology , elec tr onic s , tin mining and s melting,
logging, timber pr oc es s ing; Sabah - logging, petr oleum pr oduc tion; Sar aw ak - agr ic ultur e
pr oc es s ing, petr oleum pr oduc tion and r ef ining, logging

cia.gov/…/countrytemplate_my.html 10/16
6/1/2011 CIA - The World Factbook
In d u s t r ial p r o d u ct io n g r o w t h r at e :

- 7% ( 2009 es t.)
co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 124

Ele ct r icit y - p r o d u ct io n :

103.2 billion kWh ( 2007 es t.)

co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 32

Ele ct r icit y - co n s u m p t io n :

99.25 billion kWh ( 2007 es t.)

co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 30

Ele ct r icit y - e xp o r t s :

2.268 billion kWh ( 2007 es t.)

Ele ct r icit y - im p o r t s :

0 kWh ( 2008 es t.)

Oil - p r o d u ct io n :

693,700 bbl/day ( 2009 es t.)

co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 27

Oil - co n s u m p t io n :

536,000 bbl/day ( 2009 es t.)

co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 32

Oil - e xp o r t s :

511,900 bbl/day ( 2007 es t.)

co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 30

Oil - im p o r t s :

314,600 bbl/day ( 2007 es t.)

co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 35

Oil - p r o ve d r e s e r ve s :

2.9 billion bbl ( 1 Januar y 2010 es t.)

co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 32

Nat u r al g as - p r o d u ct io n :

57.3 billion c u m ( 2008 es t.)

co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 17

Nat u r al g as - co n s u m p t io n :

26.27 billion c u m ( 2008 es t.)

co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 30

Nat u r al g as - e xp o r t s :

cia.gov/…/countrytemplate_my.html 11/16
6/1/2011 CIA - The World Factbook
31.03 billion c u m ( 2008 es t.)
co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 8
Nat u r al g as - im p o r t s :

0 c u m ( 2008 es t.)
co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 98

Nat u r al g as - p r o ve d r e s e r ve s :

2.35 tr illion c u m ( 1 Januar y 2010 es t.)

co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 16

Cu r r e n t acco u n t b alan ce :

$34.08 billion ( 2009 es t.)

co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 10
$38.91 billion ( 2008 es t.)

Exp o r t s :

$157.5 billion ( 2009 es t.)

co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 23
$199.7 billion ( 2008 es t.)

Exp o r t s - co m m o d it ie s :

elec tr onic equipment, petr oleum and liquef ied natur al gas , w ood and w ood pr oduc ts , palm
oil, r ubber , tex tiles , c hemic als

Exp o r t s - p ar t n e r s :

Singapor e 14.94% , US 12.4% , China 10.19% , Japan 9.13% , Thailand 4.93% , Hong Kong
4.75% ( 2009)

Im p o r t s :

$117.3 billion ( 2009 es t.)

co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 29
$148.5 billion ( 2008 es t.)

Im p o r t s - co m m o d it ie s :

elec tr onic s , mac hiner y , petr oleum pr oduc ts , plas tic s , v ehic les , ir on and s teel pr oduc ts ,
c hemic als

Im p o r t s - p ar t n e r s :

Singapor e 20.16% , China 12.31% , Japan 11.02% , US 9.41% , Thailand 6.15% , South Kor ea
4.21% ( 2009)

Re s e r ve s o f f o r e ig n e xch an g e an d g o ld :

$96.71 billion ( 31 Dec ember 2009 es t.)

co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 20
$91.53 billion ( 31 Dec ember 2008 es t.)

De b t - e xt e r n al:

$58.79 billion ( 31 Dec ember 2009 es t.)

co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 49
cia.gov/…/countrytemplate_my.html 12/16
6/1/2011 CIA - The World Factbook
$66.18 billion ( 31 Dec ember 2008 es t.)

St o ck o f d ir e ct f o r e ig n in ve s t m e n t - at h o m e :

$74.64 billion ( 31 Dec ember 2009 es t.)

co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 40
$73.26 billion ( 31 Dec ember 2008 es t.)

St o ck o f d ir e ct f o r e ig n in ve s t m e n t - ab r o ad :

$75.62 billion ( 31 Dec ember 2009 es t.)

co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 26
$67.58 billion ( 31 Dec ember 2008 es t.)

Exch an g e r at e s :

r inggits ( MY R) per US dollar - 3.55 ( 2009) , 3.33 ( 2008) , 3.46 ( 2007) , 3.6683 ( 2006) , 3.8
( 2005)

Co m m u n icat io n s :: MA LA Y SIA
T e le p h o n e s - m ain lin e s in u s e :

4.312 million ( 2009)

co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 34

T e le p h o n e s - m o b ile ce llu lar :

30.379 million ( 2009)

co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 31

T e le p h o n e s ys t e m :

g e n e r al as s e s s m e n t : moder n s y s tem f eatur ing good inter c ity s er v ic e on Penins ular

Malay s ia pr ov ided mainly by mic r ow av e r adio r elay and an adequate inter c ity mic r ow av e
r adio r elay netw or k betw een Sabah and Sar aw ak v ia Br unei; inter national s er v ic e
ex c ellent
d o m e s t ic: domes tic s atellite s y s tem w ith 2 ear th s tations ; c ombined f ix ed- line and mobile-
c ellular teledens ity 135 per 100 per s ons
in t e r n at io n al: c ountr y c ode - 60; landing point f or s ev er al major inter national s ubmar ine
c able netw or ks that pr ov ide c onnec tiv ity to A s ia, Middle Eas t, and Eur ope; s atellite ear th
s tations - 2 Intels at ( 1 Indian Oc ean, 1 Pac if ic Oc ean) ( 2008)

Br o ad cas t m e d ia:

s tate- ow ned telev is ion br oadc as ter oper ates 2 TV netw or ks w ith r elay s thr oughout the
c ountr y , and the leading pr iv ate c ommer c ial media gr oup oper ates 4 TV s tations w ith
numer ous r elay s thr oughout the c ountr y ; s atellite TV s ubs c r iption s er v ic e is av ailable;
s tate- ow ned r adio br oadc as ter oper ates multiple national netw or ks as w ell as r egional and
loc al s tations ; lar ge number of pr iv ate c ommer c ial r adio br oadc as ter s and s ome
s ubs c r iption s atellite r adio s er v ic es ar e av ailable; about 400 r adio s tations ov er all ( 2008)

In t e r n e t co u n t r y co d e :

.my

In t e r n e t h o s t s :

344,452 ( 2010)
co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 56

cia.gov/…/countrytemplate_my.html 13/16
6/1/2011 CIA - The World Factbook

In t e r n e t u s e r s :

16.903 million ( 2008)

co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 22

T r an s p o r t at io n :: MA LA Y SIA
Air p o r t s :

118 ( 2010)
co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 51

Air p o r t s - w it h p ave d r u n w ays :

t o t al: 38
o ve r 3,047 m : 7
2,438 t o 3,047 m : 10
1,524 t o 2,437 m : 6
914 t o 1,523 m : 8
u n d e r 914 m : 7 ( 2010)

Air p o r t s - w it h u n p ave d r u n w ays :

t o t al: 80
914 t o 1,523 m : 7
u n d e r 914 m : 73 ( 2010)

He lip o r t s :

3 ( 2010)

Pip e lin e s :

c ondens ate 3 km; gas 1,965 km; oil 31 km; r ef ined pr oduc ts 114 km ( 2009)

Railw ays :

t o t al: 1,849 km
co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 75
s t an d ar d g au g e : 57 km 1.435- m gauge ( 57 km elec tr if ied)
n ar r o w g au g e : 1,792 km 1.000- m gauge ( 150 km elec tr if ied) ( 2008)

Ro ad w ays :

t o t al: 98,721 km
co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 44
p ave d : 80,280 km ( inc ludes 1,821 km of ex pr es s w ay s )
u n p ave d : 18,441 km ( 2004)

Wat e r w ays :

7,200 km
co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 20
n o t e: Penins ular Malay s ia 3,200 km; Sabah 1,500 km; Sar aw ak 2,500 km ( 2008)

M e r ch an t m ar in e :

t o t al: 321
co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 30
cia.gov/…/countrytemplate_my.html 14/16
6/1/2011 CIA - The World Factbook
b y t yp e : bulk c ar r ier 9, c ar go 97, c ar r ier 2, c hemic al tanker 45, c ontainer 44, liquef ied gas
35, pas s enger /c ar go 4, petr oleum tanker 79, r oll on/r oll of f 2, v ehic le c ar r ier 4
f o r e ig n - o w n e d : 35 ( Denmar k 1, Hong Kong 8, Japan 4, Niger ia 1, Rus s ia 2, Singapor e 19)
r e g is t e r e d in o t h e r co u n t r ie s : 79 ( Bahamas 13, India 1, Indones ia 1, Malta 1, Mar s hall
Is lands 11, Panama 12, Papua New Guinea 1, Philippines 1, Saint Kitts and Nev is 1, Sier r a
Leone 1, Singapor e 27, Thailand 3, Tuv alu 1, US 2, unknow n 3) ( 2010)

Po r t s an d t e r m in als :

Bintulu, Johor Bahr u, Geor ge Tow n ( Penang) , Por t Kelang ( Por t Klang) , Tanjung Pelepas

T r an s p o r t at io n - n o t e :

the Inter national Mar itime Bur eau r epor ts the ter r itor ial and of f s hor e w ater s in the Str ait of
Malac c a and South China Sea as high r is k f or pir ac y and ar med r obber y agains t s hips ;
numer ous c ommer c ial v es s els hav e been attac ked and hijac ked both at anc hor and w hile
under w ay ; hijac ked v es s els ar e of ten dis guis ed and c ar go div er ted to por ts in Eas t A s ia;
c r ew s hav e been mur der ed or c as t adr if t; inc r eas ed nav al patr ols in 2009 r es ulted in
s ignif ic antly r educ ed number s of inc idents

M ilit ar y :: MA LA Y SIA
M ilit ar y b r an ch e s :

Malay s ian A r med For c es ( A ngkatan Tenter a Malay s ia, A TM) : Malay s ian A r my ( Tenter a
Dar at Malay s ia) , Roy al Malay s ian Nav y ( Tenter a Laut Dir aja Malay s ia, TLDM) , Roy al
Malay s ian A ir For c e ( Tenter a Udar a Dir aja Malay s ia, TUDM) ( 2010)

M ilit ar y s e r vice ag e an d o b lig at io n :

18 y ear s of age f or v oluntar y militar y s er v ic e ( 2005)

M an p o w e r availab le f o r m ilit ar y s e r vice :

m ale s ag e 16- 49: 6,692,438

f e m ale s ag e 16- 49: 6,494,413 ( 2010 es t.)

M an p o w e r f it f o r m ilit ar y s e r vice :

m ale s ag e 16- 49: 5,612,642

f e m ale s ag e 16- 49: 5,501,129 ( 2010 es t.)

M an p o w e r r e ach in g m ilit ar ily s ig n if ican t ag e an n u ally:

m ale : 267,646
f e m ale : 253,529 ( 2010 es t.)

M ilit ar y e xp e n d it u r e s :

2.03% of GDP ( 2005 es t.)

co u n t r y co m p ar is o n t o t h e w o r ld : 70

T r an s n at io n al Is s u e s :: MA LA Y SIA
Dis p u t e s - in t e r n at io n al:

Malay s ia is inv olv ed in a c omplex dis pute w ith Br unei, China, Philippines , Taiw an, and
V ietnam ov er c laims to par t or all of the Spr atly Is lands ; w hile the 2002 "Dec lar ation on the
Conduc t of Par ties in the South China Sea" has eas ed tens ions ov er the Spr atly Is lands , it
is not the legally binding "c ode of c onduc t" s ought by s ome par ties ; Malay s ia w as not
par ty to the Mar c h 2005 joint ac c or d among the national oil c ompanies of China, the

cia.gov/…/countrytemplate_my.html 15/16
6/1/2011 CIA - The World Factbook
Philippines , and V ietnam on c onduc ting mar ine s eis mic ac tiv ities in the Spr atly Is lands ;
dis putes c ontinue ov er deliv er ies of f r es h w ater to Singapor e, Singapor e's land
r ec lamation, br idge c ons tr uc tion, and mar itime boundar ies in the Johor and Singapor e
Str aits ; in 2008, ICJ aw ar ds s ov er eignty of Pedr a Br anc a ( Pulau Batu Puteh/Hor s bur gh
Is land) to Singapor e, and Middle Roc ks to Malay s ia, but does not r ule on mar itime r egimes ,
boundar ies , or dis pos ition of South Ledge; ICJ aw ar ded Ligitan and Sipadan is lands , als o
c laimed by Indones ia and Philippines , to Malay s ia but lef t mar itime boundar y and
s ov er eignty of Unar ang r oc k in the hy dr oc ar bon- r ic h Celebes Sea in dis pute; s epar atis t
v iolenc e in Thailand's pr edominantly Mus lim s outher n pr ov inc es pr ompts meas ur es to c los e
and monitor bor der w ith Malay s ia to s tem ter r or is t ac tiv ities ; Philippines r etains a dor mant
c laim to Malay s ia's Sabah State in nor ther n Bor neo; Br unei and Malay s ia agr eed in
September 2008 to r es olv e their of f s hor e and deepw ater s eabed dis pute, r es ume
hy dr oc ar bon ex plor ation, and r enounc e any ter r itor ial c laims along their land boundar y ;
pir ac y r emains a pr oblem in the Malac c a Str ait

Re f u g e e s an d in t e r n ally d is p lace d p e r s o n s :

r e f u g e e s ( co u n t r y o f o r ig in ) : 15,174 ( Indones ia) ; 21,544 ( Bur ma) ( 2007)

T r af f ick in g in p e r s o n s :

cu r r e n t s it u at io n : Malay s ia is a des tination and, to a les s er ex tent, a s our c e and tr ans it

c ountr y f or w omen and c hildr en tr af f ic ked f or the pur pos e of c ommer c ial s ex ual
ex ploitation, and men, w omen, and c hildr en f or f or c ed labor ; Malay s ia is mainly a
des tination c ountr y f or men, w omen, and c hildr en w ho migr ate w illingly f r om South and
Southeas t A s ia to w or k, s ome of w hom ar e s ubjec ted to c onditions of inv oluntar y
s er v itude by Malay s ian employ er s in the domes tic , agr ic ultur al, c ons tr uc tion, plantation,
and indus tr ial s ec tor s ; to a les s er ex tent, s ome Malay s ian w omen, pr imar ily of Chines e
ethnic ity , ar e tr af f ic ked abr oad f or c ommer c ial s ex ual ex ploitation
t ie r r at in g : Tier 2 Watc h Lis t - the Gov er nment of Malay s ia does not f ully c omply w ith the
minimum s tandar ds f or the elimination of tr af f ic king and is not making s ignif ic ant ef f or ts to
do s o, des pite s ome pr ogr es s in enf or c ing the 2007 c ompr ehens iv e anti- tr af f ic king law ; it
has y et to f ully addr es s labor tr af f ic king in Malay s ia; ther e ar e c r edible allegations of
inv olv ement of Malay s ian immigr ation of f ic ials in tr af f ic king and ex tor ting Bur mes e
r ef ugees ; the gov er nment did not dev elop mec hanis ms to ef f ec tiv ely s c r een v ic tims of
tr af f ic king in v ulner able gr oups and c ondones the c onf is c ation of pas s por ts of migr ant
w or ker s by employ er s ( 2009)

Illicit d r u g s :

dr ug tr af f ic king pr os ec uted v igor ous ly and c ar r ies s ev er e penalties ; her oin s till pr imar y
dr ug of abus e, but s y nthetic dr ug demand r emains s tr ong; c ontinued ec s tas y and
methamphetamine pr oduc er f or domes tic us er s and, to a les s er ex tent, the r egional dr ug
mar ket

cia.gov/…/countrytemplate_my.html 16/16