Which has higher number of airline passengers per year, Malaysia or Saudi Arabia?

Saudi Arabia, at 47.98 million against 46.70 million in Malaysia as of 2023.

What is the difference in number of airline passengers per year between Malaysia and Saudi Arabia?

1.28 million, with Saudi Arabia ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for Malaysia and Saudi Arabia?

54 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2023.

Where does this data come from?

International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Number of airline passengers per year. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Malaysia vs Saudi Arabia: Number of airline passengers per year

Malaysia

46.70 million

in 2023

Saudi Arabia

47.98 million

in 2023

Malaysia rank

24th

Saudi Arabia rank

22nd

Number of airline passengers per year over time

Malaysia
Saudi Arabia

How they compare

Saudi Arabia currently reports 47.98 million against 46.70 million in Malaysia, a difference of 1.28 million.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 54 shared years of data; in 1970 it was Malaysia ahead.

Malaysia ranks 24th and Saudi Arabia ranks 22nd of 183 countries.

Across the 6 decades both report, Malaysia averaged higher in 3 and Saudi Arabia in 3.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Malaysia	Saudi Arabia	Difference	Ahead
1970s	2.15 million	2.79 million	638,980	Saudi Arabia
1980s	6.19 million	10.14 million	3.95 million	Saudi Arabia
1990s	13.70 million	11.40 million	2.30 million	Malaysia
2000s	19.06 million	15.19 million	3.87 million	Malaysia
2010s	49.63 million	32.25 million	17.38 million	Malaysia
2020s	23.89 million	31.84 million	7.95 million	Saudi Arabia

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher number of airline passengers per year, Malaysia or Saudi Arabia?: Saudi Arabia, at 47.98 million against 46.70 million in Malaysia as of 2023.
What is the difference in number of airline passengers per year between Malaysia and Saudi Arabia?: 1.28 million, with Saudi Arabia ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Malaysia and Saudi Arabia?: 54 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2023.
How do Malaysia and Saudi Arabia rank globally for number of airline passengers per year?: Malaysia ranks 24th and Saudi Arabia ranks 22nd of 183 countries.
Where does this data come from?: International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Number of airline passengers per year. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Malaysia vs Saudi Arabia: Number of airline passengers per year. Statizoid, drawing on International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 28 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/number-airline-passengers/malaysia/saudi-arabia/

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<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/number-airline-passengers/malaysia/saudi-arabia/">Malaysia vs Saudi Arabia: Number of airline passengers per year</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator: Number of airline passengers per year
Source: International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 183 places, 7,925 data points, 1970–2023
Last refreshed: 18 September 2026

This represents the total rather than unique passenger activity: this means a person who makes multiple trips is counted multiple times.