Statizoid

Japan vs Malaysia: Urban and rural population projected to 2050

Japan
4.21 million people
in 2050
Malaysia
4.00 million people
in 2050
Japan rank
81st
Malaysia rank
82nd

Urban and rural population projected to 2050 over time

  • Japan
  • Malaysia
020.0M40.0M60.0M100015252050

How they compare

Japan currently reports 4.21 million people against 4.00 million people in Malaysia, a difference of 211,130 people.

That makes Japan's figure about 1.1 times Malaysia's.

Across all 133 years both countries report, Japan has been ahead every year.

Japan ranks 81st and Malaysia ranks 82nd of 238 countries.

Japan has averaged higher in every one of the 43 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Japan Malaysia Difference Ahead
1000s 5.83 million people 199,998 people 5.63 million people Japan
1100s 6.16 million people 239,193 people 5.93 million people Japan
1200s 6.35 million people 278,377 people 6.07 million people Japan
1300s 7.21 million people 317,520 people 6.89 million people Japan
1400s 9.12 million people 356,531 people 8.76 million people Japan
1500s 11.94 million people 395,104 people 11.55 million people Japan
1600s 16.25 million people 491,640 people 15.76 million people Japan
1700s 25.36 million people 581,906 people 24.78 million people Japan
1710s 27.55 million people 600,501 people 26.95 million people Japan
1720s 27.55 million people 619,241 people 26.93 million people Japan
1730s 27.55 million people 637,754 people 26.91 million people Japan
1740s 27.55 million people 656,014 people 26.89 million people Japan
1750s 27.55 million people 673,993 people 26.88 million people Japan
1760s 27.36 million people 691,657 people 26.67 million people Japan
1770s 27.17 million people 708,971 people 26.46 million people Japan
1780s 26.98 million people 725,894 people 26.25 million people Japan
1790s 26.79 million people 742,381 people 26.05 million people Japan
1800s 26.60 million people 758,384 people 25.84 million people Japan
1810s 27.29 million people 792,142 people 26.50 million people Japan
1820s 27.97 million people 825,088 people 27.14 million people Japan
1830s 28.64 million people 857,124 people 27.78 million people Japan
1840s 29.30 million people 888,142 people 28.42 million people Japan
1850s 29.96 million people 918,019 people 29.04 million people Japan
1860s 30.95 million people 1.18 million people 29.77 million people Japan
1870s 31.93 million people 1.44 million people 30.49 million people Japan
1880s 34.09 million people 1.70 million people 32.39 million people Japan
1890s 36.97 million people 1.94 million people 35.03 million people Japan
1900s 35.43 million people 2.14 million people 33.29 million people Japan
1910s 38.98 million people 2.46 million people 36.51 million people Japan
1920s 42.25 million people 3.02 million people 39.23 million people Japan
1930s 46.60 million people 3.53 million people 43.07 million people Japan
1940s 51.18 million people 4.53 million people 46.65 million people Japan
1950s 43.54 million people 5.28 million people 38.26 million people Japan
1960s 32.78 million people 6.47 million people 26.31 million people Japan
1970s 28.24 million people 7.80 million people 20.44 million people Japan
1980s 28.17 million people 8.95 million people 19.22 million people Japan
1990s 27.66 million people 8.96 million people 18.70 million people Japan
2000s 19.67 million people 8.55 million people 11.13 million people Japan
2010s 11.14 million people 8.33 million people 2.80 million people Japan
2020s 9.56 million people 8.14 million people 1.42 million people Japan
2030s 7.58 million people 7.04 million people 534,208 people Japan
2040s 5.43 million people 5.25 million people 178,381 people Japan
2050s 4.21 million people 4.00 million people 211,130 people Japan

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher urban and rural population projected to 2050, Japan or Malaysia?
Japan, at 4.21 million people against 4.00 million people in Malaysia as of 2050.
What is the difference in urban and rural population projected to 2050 between Japan and Malaysia?
211,130 people, with Japan ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and Malaysia?
133 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2050.
How do Japan and Malaysia rank globally for urban and rural population projected to 2050?
Japan ranks 81st 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) – 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.

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Japan vs Malaysia: Urban and rural population projected to 2050. Statizoid, drawing on HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 11 October 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/compare/urban-and-rural-population-2050/japan/malaysia/

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About this data

Indicator
Urban and rural population projected to 2050
Unit
people
Source
HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
239 places, 30,401 data points, 1000–2050
Last refreshed

Number of people living in rural areas, combining UN estimates and projections with modeled historical data.