Australia vs Malaysia: Urban and rural population projected to 2050
Australia
3.38 million people
in 2050
Malaysia
4.00 million people
in 2050
Australia rank
85th
Malaysia rank
82nd
Urban and rural population projected to 2050 over time
- Australia
- Malaysia
How they compare
Malaysia currently reports 4.00 million people against 3.38 million people in Australia, a difference of 614,140 people.
That makes Malaysia's figure about 1.2 times Australia's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 133 shared years of data; in 1000 it was Australia ahead.
Australia ranks 85th and Malaysia ranks 82nd of 238 countries.
Across the 43 decades both report, Australia averaged higher in 7 and Malaysia in 36.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | Malaysia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 314,849 people | 199,998 people | 114,851 people | Australia |
| 1100s | 315,020 people | 239,193 people | 75,827 people | Australia |
| 1200s | 315,269 people | 278,377 people | 36,892 people | Australia |
| 1300s | 315,621 people | 317,520 people | 1,899 people | Malaysia |
| 1400s | 316,086 people | 356,531 people | 40,445 people | Malaysia |
| 1500s | 316,588 people | 395,104 people | 78,516 people | Malaysia |
| 1600s | 316,758 people | 491,640 people | 174,882 people | Malaysia |
| 1700s | 309,340 people | 581,906 people | 272,566 people | Malaysia |
| 1710s | 308,480 people | 600,501 people | 292,021 people | Malaysia |
| 1720s | 307,476 people | 619,241 people | 311,765 people | Malaysia |
| 1730s | 306,306 people | 637,754 people | 331,448 people | Malaysia |
| 1740s | 304,940 people | 656,014 people | 351,074 people | Malaysia |
| 1750s | 303,347 people | 673,993 people | 370,646 people | Malaysia |
| 1760s | 301,488 people | 691,657 people | 390,169 people | Malaysia |
| 1770s | 299,479 people | 708,971 people | 409,492 people | Malaysia |
| 1780s | 297,344 people | 725,894 people | 428,550 people | Malaysia |
| 1790s | 295,758 people | 742,381 people | 446,623 people | Malaysia |
| 1800s | 277,522 people | 758,384 people | 480,862 people | Malaysia |
| 1810s | 260,681 people | 792,142 people | 531,461 people | Malaysia |
| 1820s | 254,199 people | 825,088 people | 570,889 people | Malaysia |
| 1830s | 264,286 people | 857,124 people | 592,838 people | Malaysia |
| 1840s | 321,486 people | 888,142 people | 566,656 people | Malaysia |
| 1850s | 536,588 people | 918,019 people | 381,431 people | Malaysia |
| 1860s | 1.02 million people | 1.18 million people | 167,900 people | Malaysia |
| 1870s | 1.41 million people | 1.44 million people | 33,160 people | Malaysia |
| 1880s | 1.72 million people | 1.70 million people | 21,420 people | Australia |
| 1890s | 2.21 million people | 1.94 million people | 273,460 people | Australia |
| 1900s | 2.44 million people | 2.14 million people | 306,580 people | Australia |
| 1910s | 2.60 million people | 2.46 million people | 139,170 people | Australia |
| 1920s | 2.77 million people | 3.02 million people | 243,950 people | Malaysia |
| 1930s | 2.76 million people | 3.53 million people | 770,680 people | Malaysia |
| 1940s | 2.42 million people | 4.53 million people | 2.12 million people | Malaysia |
| 1950s | 1.92 million people | 5.28 million people | 3.36 million people | Malaysia |
| 1960s | 1.91 million people | 6.47 million people | 4.56 million people | Malaysia |
| 1970s | 1.95 million people | 7.80 million people | 5.85 million people | Malaysia |
| 1980s | 2.29 million people | 8.95 million people | 6.66 million people | Malaysia |
| 1990s | 2.65 million people | 8.96 million people | 6.31 million people | Malaysia |
| 2000s | 2.92 million people | 8.55 million people | 5.63 million people | Malaysia |
| 2010s | 3.14 million people | 8.33 million people | 5.19 million people | Malaysia |
| 2020s | 3.31 million people | 8.14 million people | 4.84 million people | Malaysia |
| 2030s | 3.29 million people | 7.04 million people | 3.75 million people | Malaysia |
| 2040s | 3.31 million people | 5.25 million people | 1.94 million people | Malaysia |
| 2050s | 3.38 million people | 4.00 million people | 614,140 people | Malaysia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher urban and rural population projected to 2050, Australia or Malaysia?
- Malaysia, at 4.00 million people against 3.38 million people in Australia as of 2050.
- What is the difference in urban and rural population projected to 2050 between Australia and Malaysia?
- 614,140 people, with Malaysia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and Malaysia?
- 133 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2050.
- How do Australia and Malaysia rank globally for urban and rural population projected to 2050?
- Australia ranks 85th and Malaysia ranks 82nd of 238 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) β with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Urban and rural population projected to 2050. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Number of people living in rural areas, combining UN estimates and projections with modeled historical data.