Malaysia: country facts, travel advice and health

Grab: the leading ride-hailing app, paid by card in the app or in cash.Touch 'n Go eWallet: link a foreign credit card and pay at QR codes everywhere.MyNIISe: official immigration app to file the arrival card and clear some checkpoints by QR code.KTMB: book national rail tickets up to 6 months ahead.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Cards or cash

Mostly cashMostly cards

Step 3 of 5: Cash and cards are used about equally; carry some cash alongside a card.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Money in Malaysia

Malaysian Ringgit · RM · MYR

If an ATM offers to convert to your home currency, decline and pay in ringgit.

Withdraw cash at local bank ATMs such as CIMB, which often charge no fee.

At money changers, state your amount and ask for their best rate; posted rates are negotiable.

Bring small foreign notes; large ones get poor rates, especially in Sabah and Sarawak.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Collect Malaysian Ringgit in CointryOur sister app for coin and banknote collectors · cointry.appOpen

Public holidays in the next 12 months

Mon, 8 Feb 2027–8 Mar · Ramadan (expected date)

Tue, 9 Mar 2027 · Eid al-Fitr (expected date)

Sun, 16 May 2027 · Eid al-Adha (expected date)

Source: Umm al-Qura calendar (computed with ICU) · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

02Free

Safety today

Germany, the US and the UK publish their travel advice openly. Here is what those that cover Malaysia say, side by side, checked daily.

German Foreign Office says

No travel warning

Calm ●

Caution

Serious

Don’t go

Source: Auswärtiges Amt
Updated 16 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

U.S. Department of State says

Exercise normal precautions

Calm ●

Caution

Serious

Don’t go

Level 1 of 4

Source: travel.state.gov
Updated 21 Feb 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

UK Foreign Office says

Advises against all but essential travel to parts of the country

Some regions differ, see the official page.

Source: GOV.UK
Updated 19 Mar 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

Scams to know

Spiked drinks

Never accept drinks from strangers; keep your glass in sight, even in well-known bars.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Card and ATM fraud

Use ATMs inside banks, shield your PIN and keep your card in sight whenever you pay.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Countrywise is a summary. The official page is authoritative.

03Free

Health

Routine shots, hepatitis A and B, typhoid; others by trip. Malaria in some regions; altitude risk on Kinabalu.

Vaccinations

Be up to date on routine vaccines; hepatitis A, hepatitis B and typhoid are advised for most visitors, with Japanese encephalitis and rabies shots depending on the trip.

Malaria

In some regions

Altitude

Altitude sickness can affect climbers on high ground such as Mount Kinabalu in Sabah.

Talk to a travel clinic 4–8 weeks before you go.

Source: CDC
Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

Summarised from the CDC’s Travelers’ Health pages. Using them does not mean the CDC endorses Countrywise.

04Travel layer

In the app: the travel layer

The travel layer

Read a country like someone who’s been there.

What’s different from home, and what’s the lawMust-see places, free entry and World Heritage sites20 words to remember, with pronunciationStrange and surprising factsThe anthem and national symbolsSaved for offline use

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Must-see · 1Kuala Lumpur

Cosmopolitan capital crowned by the Petronas Twin Towers.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Strange & surprising · #1

Durian, a famously pungent fruit, is banned from almost every hotel because of its smell.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

National anthem: Negaraku. The lyrics, translated, and the story are in the app. Source: Wikidata · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

6 World Heritage sites in Malaysia, each with a photo and its story, in the app. Source: UNESCO World Heritage List

05Free

Deep facts

Economy
GDP	≈ $472.2 billionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Per person	≈ $13,125Source: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Top exports	integrated circuits, refined petroleum, crude petroleum, natural gas, palm oil (2023)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Population
Population	36 millionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Median age	32.2 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Life expectancy	76.6 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2024 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Religions	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.)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · 2020 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Geography
Area	329,847 km²Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Climate	tropical; annual southwest (April to October) and northeast (October to February) monsoonsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Terrain	coastal plains rising to hills and mountainsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Government
Type of government	federal parliamentary constitutional monarchySource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Calling code	+60Source: libphonenumber · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

About the data

Written from the sources we link, and checked against them before each release. Countrywise summarises public sources. We are not an official source. For safety and entry rules, always follow the official page we link to.

From your foreign ministry when it publishes its advice openly (Germany, the US, the UK). Otherwise we show those three side by side. Checked daily, with the date next to every entry.

CDC · 24 Oct 2026 ↗GOV.UK · 24 Oct 2026 ↗IANA Time Zone Database · 23 Oct 2026 ↗libphonenumber · 24 Oct 2026 ↗The World Factbook (archive) · 23 Oct 2026 ↗U.S. Department of State · 25 Oct 2026 ↗Umm al-Qura calendar (computed with ICU) · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Unicode CLDR · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Wikidata · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Wikivoyage · 24 Oct 2026 ↗World Bank · 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Flag artwork from flag-icons (MIT licence).