Malaysia vs Saudi Arabia: Urban population
Urban population over time
- Malaysia
- Saudi Arabia
How they compare
Saudi Arabia currently reports 31.28 million against 27.84 million in Malaysia, a difference of 3.44 million.
That makes Saudi Arabia's figure about 1.1 times Malaysia's.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 66 shared years of data; in 1960 it was Malaysia ahead.
Malaysia ranks 35th and Saudi Arabia ranks 32nd of 215 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Malaysia averaged higher in 5 and Saudi Arabia in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Malaysia | Saudi Arabia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.48 million | 1.13 million | 1.34 million | Malaysia |
| 1970s | 3.57 million | 2.62 million | 942,274 | Malaysia |
| 1980s | 6.12 million | 5.79 million | 326,529 | Malaysia |
| 1990s | 11.14 million | 10.26 million | 879,162 | Malaysia |
| 2000s | 17.00 million | 16.31 million | 686,870 | Malaysia |
| 2010s | 22.68 million | 23.48 million | 800,820 | Saudi Arabia |
| 2020s | 26.62 million | 28.15 million | 1.52 million | Saudi Arabia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher urban population, Malaysia or Saudi Arabia?
- Saudi Arabia, at 31.28 million against 27.84 million in Malaysia as of 2025.
- What is the difference in urban population between Malaysia and Saudi Arabia?
- 3.44 million, with Saudi Arabia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Malaysia and Saudi Arabia?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do Malaysia and Saudi Arabia rank globally for urban population?
- Malaysia ranks 35th and Saudi Arabia ranks 32nd of 215 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as Urban population. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.