Indonesia runs 104.8 men per 100 women aged 20–39 against 116.6 in Malaysia. Visa-free entry is 30 days against 90. On the 16 measures both countries carry, Malaysia leads 8.
The difference at a glance
- Malaysia has 11.8 more men per 100 women aged 20–39 than Indonesia.
- Visa-free entry is 60 days higher in Malaysia than in Indonesia.
- The top income tax rate is 5 points lower in Malaysia than in Indonesia.
- English proficiency is 110 points higher in Malaysia than in Indonesia.
- The homicide rate is 0.4 per 100,000 higher in Malaysia than in Indonesia.
- Life expectancy is 5.5 years higher in Malaysia than in Indonesia.
- GDP per capita is 135.0% higher in Malaysia than in Indonesia.
- The nomad visa allows 12 months more in Malaysia than in Indonesia.
Green favours Malaysia. Country figures. Cities inside one country differ, often by more than the countries differ from each other.
Head to head
Each row is named for the thing more of which is better, so a longer bar always wins.
Longer is better. Bar length is the rank among all countries we hold that measure for, not a share of the pair.
Every country measure, side by side
National figures throughout. What a city inside either country costs, and how its own sex ratio runs, is the table below this one.
| National men per 100 womenthe city figure is above | 104.8 | 116.6 | 11.8 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visa-free entrylongest headline entry for a typical Western passport | 30 | 90 | 60 days |
| Top personal income tax rateheadline rate, not an effective rate | 35% | 30% | 5 points |
| English proficiencyadult proficiency score | 471 | 581 | 110 points |
| Homicide rateper 100,000 per year | 0.3 | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Life expectancyyears at birth | 71.3 | 76.8 | 5.5 years |
| GDP per capitacurrent USD | $17,660 | $41,498 | 2.35× as much |
| Female labour force participationno direction is asserted | 54% | 52% | — |
| Fertility ratebirths per woman | 2.12 | 1.54 | — |
| Obesity, womenage-standardised | 16.6% | 28.9% | 12.3 points |
| Mean height, womenadults | 154 cm / 5′1″ | 157 cm / 5′2″ | — |
| Political stability0 to 100, higher is more stable | 56/100 | 72/100 | 16 points |
| Low corruption0 to 100, higher is cleaner | 37/100 | 58/100 | 21 points |
| Digital nomad visamax stay; headline route, not a guarantee | 12 months | 24 months | 2.00× |
| Never-married women, 20–39census or survey, years differ between countries | 17.0% | 33.4% | — |
| Main languagethe city may differ | Indonesian | Malay | — |
Data updated August 6, 2026.
Sex ratio by age
Men per 100 women in each five-year band, with 100 as parity. National census age×sex tables, which is the one figure on this page no cost-of-living site holds.
Every city we track in both
A national sex ratio is an average of places that do not resemble each other. These are the cities behind it.
Indonesia
| City | Men/100 women | Essentials |
|---|---|---|
| Jakartaregency/city level | 97.8 | $464 |
| Medanregency/city level | 98.1 | $322 |
| Yogyakartaregency/city level | 98.8 | $366 |
| Surabayaregency/city level | 99.8 | $383 |
| Semarangregency/city level | 99.8 | $357 |
| Batamregency/city level | 100.0 | $375 |
| Balikpapanregency/city level | 100.8 | — |
| Palembangregency/city level | 101.4 | — |
| Makassarregency/city level | 102.3 | — |
| Manadoregency/city level | 104.1 | $290 |
| Denpasarregency/city level | 104.7 | $371 |
| Bandungregency/city level | 107.8 | $356 |
Malaysia
| City | Men/100 women | Essentials |
|---|---|---|
| Kota Kinabaluunit level | 105.3 | $523 |
| George Townunit level | 106.8 | $614 |
| Kuala Lumpurunit level | 120.6 | $698 |
| Ipohunit level | 124.4 | — |
| Malaccaunit level | 125.3 | — |
| Johor Bahruunit level | 125.6 | $678 |
Indonesia spans 10.0 points across its 12 tracked cities, Malaysia 20.3 across 6. The national figure is the average of neither.
Every Indonesia regency/city by male-to-female ratio → Every Malaysia district by male-to-female ratio →
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