Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in Malaysia
Malaysia: Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million was 9.00 million in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
9.00 million
Change on year
up 2.1%
World rank
36th
of 121 countries
All-time high
9.00 million
in 2025
All-time low
343,527
in 1960
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in Malaysia, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
Malaysia recorded 9.00 million for population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.1% on the previous year and up 31.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in Malaysia peaked at 9.00 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 343,527, in 1960.
Malaysia ranks 36th of 121 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 343,527 | — |
| 1961 | 353,010 | +2.8% |
| 1962 | 362,768 | +2.8% |
| 1963 | 372,796 | +2.8% |
| 1964 | 383,116 | +2.8% |
| 1965 | 393,692 | +2.8% |
| 1966 | 404,576 | +2.8% |
| 1967 | 415,760 | +2.8% |
| 1968 | 427,269 | +2.8% |
| 1969 | 439,064 | +2.8% |
| 1970 | 451,201 | +2.8% |
| 1971 | 485,787 | +7.7% |
| 1972 | 524,721 | +8.0% |
| 1973 | 566,654 | +8.0% |
| 1974 | 612,004 | +8.0% |
| 1975 | 660,984 | +8.0% |
| 1976 | 713,959 | +8.0% |
| 1977 | 771,016 | +8.0% |
| 1978 | 832,722 | +8.0% |
| 1979 | 899,365 | +8.0% |
| 1980 | 971,445 | +8.0% |
| 1981 | 1.05 million | +8.0% |
| 1982 | 1.13 million | +8.0% |
| 1983 | 1.22 million | +8.0% |
| 1984 | 1.32 million | +8.0% |
| 1985 | 1.43 million | +8.0% |
| 1986 | 1.54 million | +8.0% |
| 1987 | 1.67 million | +8.0% |
| 1988 | 1.80 million | +8.0% |
| 1989 | 1.94 million | +8.0% |
| 1990 | 2.10 million | +8.0% |
| 1991 | 2.27 million | +8.0% |
| 1992 | 2.43 million | +7.1% |
| 1993 | 2.60 million | +7.0% |
| 1994 | 2.78 million | +7.0% |
| 1995 | 2.97 million | +7.0% |
| 1996 | 3.18 million | +7.0% |
| 1997 | 3.41 million | +7.0% |
| 1998 | 3.65 million | +7.0% |
| 1999 | 3.90 million | +7.0% |
| 2000 | 4.18 million | +7.0% |
| 2001 | 4.32 million | +3.4% |
| 2002 | 4.46 million | +3.4% |
| 2003 | 4.61 million | +3.4% |
| 2004 | 4.77 million | +3.4% |
| 2005 | 4.93 million | +3.3% |
| 2006 | 5.09 million | +3.4% |
| 2007 | 5.26 million | +3.4% |
| 2008 | 5.44 million | +3.4% |
| 2009 | 5.62 million | +3.3% |
| 2010 | 5.81 million | +3.4% |
| 2011 | 6.00 million | +3.4% |
| 2012 | 6.21 million | +3.4% |
| 2013 | 6.41 million | +3.4% |
| 2014 | 6.63 million | +3.4% |
| 2015 | 6.85 million | +3.4% |
| 2016 | 7.08 million | +3.4% |
| 2017 | 7.32 million | +3.4% |
| 2018 | 7.56 million | +3.4% |
| 2019 | 7.78 million | +2.9% |
| 2020 | 8.00 million | +2.8% |
| 2021 | 8.21 million | +2.7% |
| 2022 | 8.42 million | +2.5% |
| 2023 | 8.62 million | +2.4% |
| 2024 | 8.82 million | +2.2% |
| 2025 | 9.00 million | +2.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 389,558 | 343,527 | 439,064 | 10 |
| 1970s | 651,841 | 451,201 | 899,365 | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.41 million | 971,445 | 1.94 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.93 million | 2.10 million | 3.90 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.87 million | 4.18 million | 5.62 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.77 million | 5.81 million | 7.78 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.51 million | 8.00 million | 9.00 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More urban development data for Malaysia
- Population in the largest city 32.3% (2025)
- Population density 106.91 people per sq. km of land area (2023)
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure 15.87 micrograms per cubic meter (2023)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per capita 0.2502 units per person (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, annual 2.09 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per unit 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per square 26.24 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Population in largest city 9.00 million (2025)
- Crude steelmaking capacity 19.2 Tonnes (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 23 - Ecological 314.15 Hectares (2020)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in Malaysia?
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in Malaysia was 9.00 million in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 9.00 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 343,527 in 1960.
- How does Malaysia rank for population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million?
- Malaysia ranks 36th out of 121 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 31.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Malaysia data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN), published as part of Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million. 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
Population in urban agglomerations of more than one million is the country's population living in metropolitan areas that in 2018 had a population of more than one million people.