Laos vs Malaysia: Urban and rural population projected to 2050
Laos
3.64 million people
in 2050
Malaysia
4.00 million people
in 2050
Laos rank
84th
Malaysia rank
82nd
Urban and rural population projected to 2050 over time
- Laos
- Malaysia
How they compare
Malaysia currently reports 4.00 million people against 3.64 million people in Laos, a difference of 359,420 people.
That makes Malaysia's figure about 1.1 times Laos's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 133 shared years of data; in 1000 it was Laos ahead.
Laos ranks 84th and Malaysia ranks 82nd of 238 countries.
Across the 43 decades both report, Laos averaged higher in 13 and Malaysia in 30.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Laos | Malaysia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 242,857 people | 199,998 people | 42,859 people | Laos |
| 1100s | 274,285 people | 239,193 people | 35,092 people | Laos |
| 1200s | 305,710 people | 278,377 people | 27,333 people | Laos |
| 1300s | 337,130 people | 317,520 people | 19,610 people | Laos |
| 1400s | 368,530 people | 356,531 people | 11,999 people | Laos |
| 1500s | 399,867 people | 395,104 people | 4,763 people | Laos |
| 1600s | 499,500 people | 491,640 people | 7,860 people | Laos |
| 1700s | 598,200 people | 581,906 people | 16,294 people | Laos |
| 1710s | 608,226 people | 600,501 people | 7,725 people | Laos |
| 1720s | 617,940 people | 619,241 people | 1,301 people | Malaysia |
| 1730s | 627,607 people | 637,754 people | 10,147 people | Malaysia |
| 1740s | 637,222 people | 656,014 people | 18,792 people | Malaysia |
| 1750s | 646,776 people | 673,993 people | 27,217 people | Malaysia |
| 1760s | 656,258 people | 691,657 people | 35,399 people | Malaysia |
| 1770s | 665,659 people | 708,971 people | 43,312 people | Malaysia |
| 1780s | 674,965 people | 725,894 people | 50,929 people | Malaysia |
| 1790s | 684,161 people | 742,381 people | 58,220 people | Malaysia |
| 1800s | 693,230 people | 758,384 people | 65,154 people | Malaysia |
| 1810s | 771,379 people | 792,142 people | 20,763 people | Malaysia |
| 1820s | 849,137 people | 825,088 people | 24,049 people | Laos |
| 1830s | 926,430 people | 857,124 people | 69,306 people | Laos |
| 1840s | 1.00 million people | 888,142 people | 115,028 people | Laos |
| 1850s | 1.08 million people | 918,019 people | 161,241 people | Laos |
| 1860s | 1.15 million people | 1.18 million people | 28,700 people | Malaysia |
| 1870s | 1.23 million people | 1.44 million people | 213,690 people | Malaysia |
| 1880s | 1.30 million people | 1.70 million people | 393,080 people | Malaysia |
| 1890s | 1.37 million people | 1.94 million people | 566,160 people | Malaysia |
| 1900s | 1.44 million people | 2.14 million people | 692,780 people | Malaysia |
| 1910s | 1.41 million people | 2.46 million people | 1.06 million people | Malaysia |
| 1920s | 1.45 million people | 3.02 million people | 1.57 million people | Malaysia |
| 1930s | 1.49 million people | 3.53 million people | 2.05 million people | Malaysia |
| 1940s | 1.52 million people | 4.53 million people | 3.01 million people | Malaysia |
| 1950s | 1.73 million people | 5.28 million people | 3.55 million people | Malaysia |
| 1960s | 2.16 million people | 6.47 million people | 4.31 million people | Malaysia |
| 1970s | 2.64 million people | 7.80 million people | 5.16 million people | Malaysia |
| 1980s | 3.20 million people | 8.95 million people | 5.75 million people | Malaysia |
| 1990s | 4.00 million people | 8.96 million people | 4.96 million people | Malaysia |
| 2000s | 4.28 million people | 8.55 million people | 4.27 million people | Malaysia |
| 2010s | 4.52 million people | 8.33 million people | 3.81 million people | Malaysia |
| 2020s | 4.68 million people | 8.14 million people | 3.46 million people | Malaysia |
| 2030s | 4.53 million people | 7.04 million people | 2.51 million people | Malaysia |
| 2040s | 4.04 million people | 5.25 million people | 1.21 million people | Malaysia |
| 2050s | 3.64 million people | 4.00 million people | 359,420 people | Malaysia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher urban and rural population projected to 2050, Laos or Malaysia?
- Malaysia, at 4.00 million people against 3.64 million people in Laos as of 2050.
- What is the difference in urban and rural population projected to 2050 between Laos and Malaysia?
- 359,420 people, with Malaysia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Laos and Malaysia?
- 133 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2050.
- How do Laos and Malaysia rank globally for urban and rural population projected to 2050?
- Laos ranks 84th 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.