World Map › Asia › Malaysia
Country
Map of Malaysia
Asia · Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia lies on the Sunda Plate. Since 1900, 3 major earthquakes have been recorded, causing at least 19 deaths. Its exposure to natural hazards is 4.6 out of 10 (INFORM index), a medium level. Its overall risk index, which accounts for its ability to cope, is 3.2 out of 10.
- Capital
- Kuala Lumpur
- Population
- 34,231,700
- Area
- 330,803 km²
- Continent
- Asia
Tectonic Plates
Natural Hazards
Exposure to natural hazards according to the European Commission's INFORM index, from 0 (very low) to 10 (very high), overall and for each type of hazard.
Overall Risk Index
This overall score combines hazard exposure with the vulnerability of the population (3.4 out of 10) and the lack of coping capacity (3.2 out of 10). A highly exposed but well-prepared country therefore gets a low overall score.
People Exposed Each Year
- 4,062to strong shaking (intensity VI and above)
- 46to tsunamis
- 6to hurricane-force winds (category 1 and above)
- 184,180to river floods
- 31,569to coastal floods
Overall Risk Index Over Time
Hazard Levels
Hazard level assessed by ThinkHazard! (World Bank, GFDRR), meaning the likelihood of a damaging event, from very low to high.
- River FloodHigh
- Urban FloodHigh
- Coastal FloodHigh
- LandslideHigh
- TsunamiHigh
- CycloneHigh
- WildfireHigh
- EarthquakeMedium
- Extreme HeatMedium
- VolcanoVery Low
- Water ScarcityVery Low
Volcanoes
No volcano active over the last 10,000 years is recorded in this country.
Major Earthquakes Since 1900
Earthquakes that caused deaths or significant damage, or of magnitude 7.5 and above (NOAA).
Deadliest
- 2015Sabah: Lahad, Datu, Kanak · M 6.018 deaths
- 1991Kalimantan: Ranau · M 4.51 deaths
Tsunamis
1 major tsunami has reached Malaysia since 1900, killing 137 people in the country. The deadliest and highest are listed below.
- 2004Tsunami (Indonesia) · 4.0 m137 deaths
Tropical Cyclones
2 major tropical cyclones have made landfall in Malaysia since 1950. The deadliest and most powerful are listed below.
- 2001Tropical Storm Vamei · 102 km/h
- 2014Tropical Storm Jangmi · 0 km/h
Sources : Natural Earth · Wikidata · INFORM Risk Index (1 September 2026 v 0.7.3), Commission européenne, CC BY 4.0 · NOAA NCEI · ThinkHazard!, GFDRR, CC BY · Bird (2003), PB2002 · Global Volcanism Program, Smithsonian Institution