Malaysia vs Thailand: Number of airline passengers per year
Malaysia
46.70 million
in 2023
Thailand
51.92 million
in 2023
Malaysia rank
24th
Thailand rank
21st
Number of airline passengers per year over time
- Malaysia
- Thailand
How they compare
Thailand currently reports 51.92 million against 46.70 million in Malaysia, a difference of 5.22 million.
That makes Thailand's figure about 1.1 times Malaysia's.
The two have swapped places 8 times across 54 shared years of data; in 1970 it was Thailand ahead.
Malaysia ranks 24th and Thailand ranks 21st of 183 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, Malaysia averaged higher in 4 and Thailand in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Malaysia | Thailand | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.15 million | 1.30 million | 847,130 | Malaysia |
| 1980s | 6.19 million | 4.27 million | 1.92 million | Malaysia |
| 1990s | 13.70 million | 11.81 million | 1.88 million | Malaysia |
| 2000s | 19.06 million | 18.99 million | 65,600 | Malaysia |
| 2010s | 49.63 million | 52.86 million | 3.23 million | Thailand |
| 2020s | 23.89 million | 31.81 million | 7.91 million | Thailand |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher number of airline passengers per year, Malaysia or Thailand?
- Thailand, at 51.92 million against 46.70 million in Malaysia as of 2023.
- What is the difference in number of airline passengers per year between Malaysia and Thailand?
- 5.22 million, with Thailand ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Malaysia and Thailand?
- 54 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2023.
- How do Malaysia and Thailand rank globally for number of airline passengers per year?
- Malaysia ranks 24th and Thailand ranks 21st of 183 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) β 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.
Individual pages
About this data
This represents the total rather than unique passenger activity: this means a person who makes multiple trips is counted multiple times.