Malaysia Population
Malaysia had an estimated population of 35,977,838 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 45th most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 0.44% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of +1.17% a year.
Malaysia at a glance
How Malaysia's population is changing
Malaysia's population is growing: +1.17% a year, which works out to about +422,638 people per year, or +1,157 a day. Births (12.4 per 1,000) and deaths (5.3 per 1,000) alone would give +0.71% a year; net migration adds about 166,615 people a year (+0.46%). Roughly one in every 228 people on Earth lives in Malaysia.
Population of Malaysia since 1960
In 1960, Malaysia had 7,956,197 people. By 2025 that was 35,977,838 — 4.5× larger. The fastest growth came between 1980 and 1990, when the population rose by 37%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 7,956,197 | — |
| 1970 | 10,178,802 | +27.9% |
| 1980 | 12,983,363 | +27.6% |
| 1990 | 17,833,171 | +37.4% |
| 2000 | 22,967,816 | +28.8% |
| 2010 | 28,655,776 | +24.8% |
| 2020 | 33,889,558 | +18.3% |
| 2025 | 35,977,838 | +6.2% |
Malaysia from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put Malaysia at about 287,000 people in 1800; the UN estimates 35,977,834 in 2025 (125× 1800) and projects 44,026,124 for 2100 in its medium scenario. The population is projected to peak around 2072 at 46,390,493 and decline afterwards.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 287,000 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 530,268 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 2,094,024 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 6,098,285 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 22,967,817 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 35,977,834 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 44,289,762 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 46,351,187 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 44,026,124 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in Malaysia
10 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 35,977,838. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kuala Lumpur | 8,443,731 | UN urban centre | 23.47% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 2 | Johor Bahru | 1,695,838 | UN urban centre | 4.71% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 3 | Kampung Baru Subang | 833,571 | GeoNames settlement | 2.32% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 4 | Ipoh | 823,097 | UN urban centre | 2.29% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 5 | Petaling Jaya | 807,879 | GeoNames settlement | 2.25% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 6 | Kota Kinabalu | 789,885 | UN urban centre | 2.20% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 7 | George Town | 765,884 | UN urban centre | 2.13% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 8 | Shah Alam | 740,750 | GeoNames settlement | 2.06% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 9 | Bukit Rahman Putra | 607,000 | GeoNames settlement | 1.69% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 10 | Kuching | 586,880 | UN urban centre | 1.63% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
How Malaysia compares
Malaysia has almost the same population as Mozambique (35,631,653).
| Rank | Country | Population | vs Malaysia | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #43 |  Saudi Arabia | 36,973,555 | +3% | compare → |
| #44 |  Poland | 36,435,861 | +1% | compare → |
| #46 |  Mozambique | 35,631,653 | −1% | compare → |
| #47 |  Ghana | 35,064,272 | −3% | compare → |
Compare Malaysia with any country →
Same region (East Asia & Pacific): China, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand.
Explore around Malaysia
Land neighbours (3)
Indonesia 285,721,236 · 7.9× the population · compare
Thailand 71,619,863 · 2.0× the population · compare
Brunei 466,330 · 77.2× smaller · compare
Malaysia's 3 neighbours together hold 357,807,429 people — 9.9× Malaysia's population. The most populous is Indonesia (285,721,236).
In its region
Malaysia is the 9th most populous of the 37 economies in East Asia & Pacific, holding 1.5% of the region's 2,367,527,180 people.
Rankings
Largest countries, fastest-growing, oldest populations, densest — all rankings.
Cities
Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru, Kampung Baru Subang, Ipoh, Petaling Jaya, Kota Kinabalu, George Town, Shah Alam — all Malaysia's cities on the map.
World population history · The world when you were born · Malaysia when you were born · Time machine · Embed this live counter on your site
About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
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Read this country carefully
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.