Urban population growth (annual %) in Malaysia
Malaysia: Urban population growth (annual %) was 1.8% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Urban population growth in Malaysia, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
In 2025, urban population growth in Malaysia stood at 1.8%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.4% on the previous year and down 24.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population growth in Malaysia peaked at 7.4% in 1986 and was at its lowest, 1.6%, in 2020.
That places Malaysia 79th out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Urban population growth (annual %) in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 4.1% | — |
| 1962 | 4.0% | -2.1% |
| 1963 | 3.9% | -2.1% |
| 1964 | 3.8% | -2.3% |
| 1965 | 3.7% | -2.6% |
| 1966 | 3.6% | -2.6% |
| 1967 | 3.5% | -3.9% |
| 1968 | 3.4% | -3.0% |
| 1969 | 3.4% | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 3.4% | +1.8% |
| 1971 | 3.5% | +3.3% |
| 1972 | 3.6% | +2.1% |
| 1973 | 3.7% | +1.5% |
| 1974 | 3.7% | +2.0% |
| 1975 | 3.8% | +2.0% |
| 1976 | 3.9% | +2.5% |
| 1977 | 4.0% | +2.7% |
| 1978 | 4.1% | +2.6% |
| 1979 | 4.2% | +2.8% |
| 1980 | 4.7% | +11.8% |
| 1981 | 5.6% | +17.8% |
| 1982 | 6.3% | +12.3% |
| 1983 | 6.8% | +8.1% |
| 1984 | 7.1% | +5.1% |
| 1985 | 7.3% | +2.7% |
| 1986 | 7.4% | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 7.2% | -1.7% |
| 1988 | 7.0% | -3.3% |
| 1989 | 6.7% | -4.9% |
| 1990 | 6.3% | -6.0% |
| 1991 | 5.7% | -8.1% |
| 1992 | 5.3% | -7.4% |
| 1993 | 5.2% | -3.1% |
| 1994 | 5.1% | -1.9% |
| 1995 | 5.0% | -1.9% |
| 1996 | 4.8% | -2.6% |
| 1997 | 4.7% | -3.2% |
| 1998 | 4.5% | -3.4% |
| 1999 | 4.3% | -4.7% |
| 2000 | 4.1% | -4.4% |
| 2001 | 4.1% | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 4.1% | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 3.9% | -2.7% |
| 2004 | 3.8% | -3.1% |
| 2005 | 3.7% | -3.2% |
| 2006 | 3.6% | -3.6% |
| 2007 | 3.4% | -4.3% |
| 2008 | 3.2% | -5.6% |
| 2009 | 3.0% | -7.0% |
| 2010 | 2.7% | -8.4% |
| 2011 | 2.5% | -7.4% |
| 2012 | 2.5% | -3.2% |
| 2013 | 2.4% | -1.3% |
| 2014 | 2.4% | -1.6% |
| 2015 | 2.4% | -1.3% |
| 2016 | 2.3% | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 2.3% | -2.8% |
| 2018 | 2.1% | -5.7% |
| 2019 | 2.0% | -8.4% |
| 2020 | 1.6% | -17.6% |
| 2021 | 1.8% | +8.8% |
| 2022 | 1.8% | +2.9% |
| 2023 | 1.8% | +2.1% |
| 2024 | 1.8% | -0.6% |
| 2025 | 1.8% | -2.4% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 1.8% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.0%, 1.9× the median. (59 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 1.8% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.9%, 1.9× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.7% | 3.4% | 4.1% | 9 |
| 1970s | 3.8% | 3.4% | 4.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.6% | 4.7% | 7.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.1% | 4.3% | 6.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.7% | 3.0% | 4.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.4% | 2.0% | 2.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.8% | 1.6% | 1.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More climate change data for Malaysia
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 621.79 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 4,551 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 1,936 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2,616 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 7.31 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 93.41 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 7,214 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 3,641 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 3,573 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 13.74 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population growth in Malaysia?
- Urban population growth in Malaysia was 1.8% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population growth recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 7.4% in 1986.
- What is the lowest urban population growth recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.6% in 2020.
- How does Malaysia rank for urban population growth?
- Malaysia ranks 79th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population growth rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malaysia data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual urban population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear urban population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank total population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects.