Costa Rica vs Malaysia: Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per square kilometre

Costa Rica
78.87 people per square kilometre
in 2023
Malaysia
81.73 people per square kilometre
in 2023
Costa Rica rank
81st
Malaysia rank
80th

Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per square kilometre over time

  • Costa Rica
  • Malaysia
020406080196119922023

How they compare

Malaysia currently reports 81.73 people per square kilometre against 78.87 people per square kilometre in Costa Rica, a difference of 2.86 people per square kilometre.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 63 shared years of data; in 1961 it was Costa Rica ahead.

Costa Rica ranks 81st and Malaysia ranks 80th of 215 countries.

Across the 7 decades both report, Costa Rica averaged higher in 6 and Malaysia in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade Costa Rica Malaysia Difference Ahead
1960s 11.09 people per square kilometre 7.68 people per square kilometre 3.41 people per square kilometre Costa Rica
1970s 16.7 people per square kilometre 10.86 people per square kilometre 5.84 people per square kilometre Costa Rica
1980s 23.89 people per square kilometre 18.62 people per square kilometre 5.27 people per square kilometre Costa Rica
1990s 36.49 people per square kilometre 33.91 people per square kilometre 2.58 people per square kilometre Costa Rica
2000s 53.43 people per square kilometre 51.74 people per square kilometre 1.69 people per square kilometre Costa Rica
2010s 70.02 people per square kilometre 69.02 people per square kilometre 1 people per square kilometre Costa Rica
2020s 77.66 people per square kilometre 79.54 people per square kilometre 1.88 people per square kilometre Malaysia

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher number of people living in urban and rural areas, per square kilometre, Costa Rica or Malaysia?
Malaysia, at 81.73 people per square kilometre against 78.87 people per square kilometre in Costa Rica as of 2023.
What is the difference in number of people living in urban and rural areas, per square kilometre between Costa Rica and Malaysia?
2.86 people per square kilometre, with Malaysia ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Malaysia?
63 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2023.
How do Costa Rica and Malaysia rank globally for number of people living in urban and rural areas, per square kilometre?
Costa Rica ranks 81st and Malaysia ranks 80th of 215 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Statizoid (derived), published as Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per square kilometre. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Costa Rica vs Malaysia: Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per square kilometre. Statizoid, drawing on Statizoid (derived). Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/compare/number-of-people-living-in-urban-and-rural-areas-per-square-kilometre/costa-rica/malaysia/

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About this data

Indicator
Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per square kilometre
Unit
people per square kilometre
Source
Statizoid (derived)
Licence
Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page
Coverage
215 places, 12,288 data points, 1961–2023
Last refreshed

Number of people living in urban and rural areas divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.