Spotlight on Malaysia

摘要

Ranking 42nd in the world in terms of population, Malaysia has some 32 million people, a median age of 30 and high levels of education. Its 2018 GDP of around US$359 billion (€322 billion) as of 2018 gave it a global rank of 33, while its defence spending, at about 1% of GDP, puts it in 37th position - all numbers are estimated from multiple sources. Its room for manoeuvre as far as defence spending is concerned is limited by its relatively modest but improving defence industrial base, which restricts what can be produced domestically, as well as its fairly small trade surplus.