Malaysia: cities by population
Malaysia has a population of 36,385,115 (UN estimate, 2026), with Kuala Lumpur as its capital. The 50 largest of its 729 recorded towns and cities, ranked.
+58%
since 2000 (22,967,816)
+22%
projected by 2050 (44,289,772)
111
people per km²
Figures are the latest available in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), which draws on national censuses of varying dates — treat them as recent, not same-year. Country totals are UN World Population Prospects 2024 (medium variant) where the UN lists the country separately; the handful it reports under a parent state keep a GeoNames figure and are marked as such. Sources & method.
Largest cities in Malaysia
| # | Place | Region | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kuala Lumpur | Kuala Lumpur | 1,453,975 |
| 2 | Johor Bahru | Johor | 858,118 |
| 3 | Kampung Baru Subang | Selangor | 833,571 |
| 4 | Petaling Jaya | Selangor | 807,879 |
| 5 | Ipoh | Perak | 759,952 |
| 6 | Shah Alam | Selangor | 740,750 |
| 7 | Bukit Rahman Putra | Selangor | 607,000 |
| 8 | Pelentong | Johor | 583,640 |
| 9 | Malacca | Melaka | 579,000 |
| 10 | Iskandar Puteri | Johor | 575,977 |
| 11 | Kota Bharu | Kelantan | 568,900 |
| 12 | Kuantan | Pahang | 548,014 |
| 13 | Kota Kuala Muda | Kedah | 544,984 |
| 14 | Sungai Petani | Kedah | 544,851 |
| 15 | Selayang Baru Utara | Selangor | 542,409 |
| 16 | Pasir Gudang | Johor | 534,659 |
| 17 | Mukim Pulai | Johor | 505,661 |
| 18 | Kota Kinabalu | Sabah | 500,421 |
| 19 | Kampung Larkin Lama | Johor | 500,000 |
| 20 | Kota Damansara | Selangor | 500,000 |
| 21 | Sandakan | Sabah | 439,050 |
| 22 | Kuala Terengganu | Terengganu | 426,500 |
| 23 | Taman Petaling | Kuala Lumpur | 423,062 |
| 24 | Alor Setar | Kedah | 417,800 |
| 25 | Kampung Kangkar Teberau | Johor | 412,373 |
| 26 | Kuching | Sarawak | 402,738 |
| 27 | Puchong | Selangor | 375,181 |
| 28 | Seremban | Negeri Sembilan | 372,917 |
| 29 | Tawau | Sabah | 372,615 |
| 30 | Setapak | Selangor | 353,268 |
| 31 | Kluang | Johor | 323,762 |
| 32 | Muar | Johor | 314,776 |
| 33 | Miri | Sarawak | 300,543 |
| 34 | Kapar | Selangor | 269,627 |
| 35 | Batu Caves | Selangor | 254,083 |
| 36 | Klang | Selangor | 240,016 |
| 37 | Kajang | Selangor | 236,240 |
| 38 | Teluk Intan | Perak | 232,800 |
| 39 | Pasir Mas | Kelantan | 230,424 |
| 40 | Paya Terubong | Penang | 226,712 |
| 41 | Sungai Buloh | Selangor | 222,858 |
| 42 | Bandar Seri Alam | Johor | 220,000 |
| 43 | Taiping | Perak | 217,647 |
| 44 | Wangsa Maju | Kuala Lumpur | 215,600 |
| 45 | Bukit Mertajam | Penang | 212,329 |
| 46 | Sepang | Selangor | 212,050 |
| 47 | Bandar Utama | Kuala Lumpur | 200,000 |
| 48 | Bukit Jalil | Kuala Lumpur | 200,000 |
| 49 | Rawang | Selangor | 199,095 |
| 50 | Sibu | Sarawak | 198,239 |
Twenty years earlier: Malaysia in the 2005 World Gazetteer — population then 26,500,699.
Common questions
What is the population of Malaysia?
Malaysia has a population of 36,385,115, the UN World Population Prospects estimate for 2026. The UN's medium-variant projection for 2050 is 44,289,772 — a forecast, not a measurement.
What is the capital of Malaysia?
Kuala Lumpur.