Urban population in Malaysia
Malaysia: Urban population was 27.84 million in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Urban population in Malaysia, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
In 2025, urban population in Malaysia stood at 27.84 million. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is up 1.8% on the previous year and up 21.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Malaysia peaked at 27.84 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 2.07 million, in 1960.
That places Malaysia 35th out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Urban population in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 2.07 million | — |
| 1961 | 2.16 million | +4.2% |
| 1962 | 2.25 million | +4.1% |
| 1963 | 2.34 million | +4.0% |
| 1964 | 2.43 million | +3.9% |
| 1965 | 2.52 million | +3.8% |
| 1966 | 2.61 million | +3.7% |
| 1967 | 2.71 million | +3.5% |
| 1968 | 2.80 million | +3.4% |
| 1969 | 2.89 million | +3.4% |
| 1970 | 3.00 million | +3.5% |
| 1971 | 3.10 million | +3.6% |
| 1972 | 3.22 million | +3.7% |
| 1973 | 3.34 million | +3.7% |
| 1974 | 3.47 million | +3.8% |
| 1975 | 3.60 million | +3.9% |
| 1976 | 3.74 million | +4.0% |
| 1977 | 3.90 million | +4.1% |
| 1978 | 4.06 million | +4.2% |
| 1979 | 4.24 million | +4.3% |
| 1980 | 4.45 million | +4.9% |
| 1981 | 4.70 million | +5.8% |
| 1982 | 5.01 million | +6.5% |
| 1983 | 5.36 million | +7.0% |
| 1984 | 5.75 million | +7.4% |
| 1985 | 6.19 million | +7.6% |
| 1986 | 6.67 million | +7.6% |
| 1987 | 7.17 million | +7.5% |
| 1988 | 7.69 million | +7.2% |
| 1989 | 8.21 million | +6.9% |
| 1990 | 8.74 million | +6.5% |
| 1991 | 9.26 million | +5.9% |
| 1992 | 9.77 million | +5.5% |
| 1993 | 10.29 million | +5.3% |
| 1994 | 10.82 million | +5.2% |
| 1995 | 11.37 million | +5.1% |
| 1996 | 11.93 million | +5.0% |
| 1997 | 12.50 million | +4.8% |
| 1998 | 13.08 million | +4.6% |
| 1999 | 13.66 million | +4.4% |
| 2000 | 14.23 million | +4.2% |
| 2001 | 14.83 million | +4.2% |
| 2002 | 15.44 million | +4.1% |
| 2003 | 16.06 million | +4.0% |
| 2004 | 16.69 million | +3.9% |
| 2005 | 17.31 million | +3.8% |
| 2006 | 17.94 million | +3.6% |
| 2007 | 18.57 million | +3.5% |
| 2008 | 19.17 million | +3.3% |
| 2009 | 19.76 million | +3.0% |
| 2010 | 20.31 million | +2.8% |
| 2011 | 20.83 million | +2.6% |
| 2012 | 21.35 million | +2.5% |
| 2013 | 21.87 million | +2.5% |
| 2014 | 22.40 million | +2.4% |
| 2015 | 22.94 million | +2.4% |
| 2016 | 23.48 million | +2.4% |
| 2017 | 24.02 million | +2.3% |
| 2018 | 24.54 million | +2.2% |
| 2019 | 25.03 million | +2.0% |
| 2020 | 25.43 million | +1.6% |
| 2021 | 25.89 million | +1.8% |
| 2022 | 26.36 million | +1.8% |
| 2023 | 26.85 million | +1.9% |
| 2024 | 27.35 million | +1.9% |
| 2025 | 27.84 million | +1.8% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 27.84 million is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.10 million, 6.8× the median. (59 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 27.84 million is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 685,900, 40.6× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.48 million | 2.07 million | 2.89 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 3.57 million | 3.00 million | 4.24 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.12 million | 4.45 million | 8.21 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 11.14 million | 8.74 million | 13.66 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 17.00 million | 14.23 million | 19.76 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.68 million | 20.31 million | 25.03 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 26.62 million | 25.43 million | 27.84 million | 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 in Malaysia?
- Urban population in Malaysia was 27.84 million in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 27.84 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.07 million in 1960.
- How does Malaysia rank for urban population?
- Malaysia ranks 35th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Malaysia data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.