Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita in Malaysia
Malaysia: Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita was 0.774 people per person in 2025. ▲ Rising
Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita in Malaysia, 1960–2025
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in people per person.
Analysis
Malaysia recorded 0.774 people per person for number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.6% on the previous year and up 5.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita in Malaysia peaked at 0.774 people per person in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0.2607 people per person, in 1960.
That places Malaysia 66th out of 215 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | people per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 0.2607 people per person | — |
| 1961 | 0.2646 people per person | +1.5% |
| 1962 | 0.2682 people per person | +1.4% |
| 1963 | 0.2717 people per person | +1.3% |
| 1964 | 0.275 people per person | +1.2% |
| 1965 | 0.2783 people per person | +1.2% |
| 1966 | 0.2814 people per person | +1.1% |
| 1967 | 0.2846 people per person | +1.1% |
| 1968 | 0.2877 people per person | +1.1% |
| 1969 | 0.2909 people per person | +1.1% |
| 1970 | 0.2943 people per person | +1.1% |
| 1971 | 0.2977 people per person | +1.2% |
| 1972 | 0.3014 people per person | +1.2% |
| 1973 | 0.3053 people per person | +1.3% |
| 1974 | 0.3094 people per person | +1.4% |
| 1975 | 0.3139 people per person | +1.4% |
| 1976 | 0.3187 people per person | +1.5% |
| 1977 | 0.3239 people per person | +1.6% |
| 1978 | 0.3296 people per person | +1.7% |
| 1979 | 0.3357 people per person | +1.9% |
| 1980 | 0.3424 people per person | +2.0% |
| 1981 | 0.3509 people per person | +2.5% |
| 1982 | 0.3619 people per person | +3.1% |
| 1983 | 0.3751 people per person | +3.6% |
| 1984 | 0.3899 people per person | +4.0% |
| 1985 | 0.406 people per person | +4.1% |
| 1986 | 0.4229 people per person | +4.2% |
| 1987 | 0.4402 people per person | +4.1% |
| 1988 | 0.4575 people per person | +3.9% |
| 1989 | 0.4744 people per person | +3.7% |
| 1990 | 0.4903 people per person | +3.4% |
| 1991 | 0.5049 people per person | +3.0% |
| 1992 | 0.5186 people per person | +2.7% |
| 1993 | 0.5323 people per person | +2.6% |
| 1994 | 0.5459 people per person | +2.5% |
| 1995 | 0.5592 people per person | +2.5% |
| 1996 | 0.5723 people per person | +2.3% |
| 1997 | 0.585 people per person | +2.2% |
| 1998 | 0.5972 people per person | +2.1% |
| 1999 | 0.6088 people per person | +1.9% |
| 2000 | 0.6197 people per person | +1.8% |
| 2001 | 0.6302 people per person | +1.7% |
| 2002 | 0.6406 people per person | +1.6% |
| 2003 | 0.6508 people per person | +1.6% |
| 2004 | 0.6606 people per person | +1.5% |
| 2005 | 0.6702 people per person | +1.4% |
| 2006 | 0.6792 people per person | +1.3% |
| 2007 | 0.6876 people per person | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 0.6954 people per person | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 0.7025 people per person | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 0.7086 people per person | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 0.7142 people per person | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 0.7197 people per person | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 0.7249 people per person | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 0.7298 people per person | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 0.7344 people per person | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 0.7386 people per person | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 0.7424 people per person | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 0.7456 people per person | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 0.7484 people per person | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 0.7505 people per person | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 0.7551 people per person | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 0.7597 people per person | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 0.7644 people per person | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 0.7692 people per person | +0.6% |
| 2025 | 0.774 people per person | +0.6% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 0.774 people per person is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.6562 people per person, 1.2× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 0.774 people per person is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.6545 people per person, 1.2× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.2763 people per person | 0.2607 people per person | 0.2909 people per person | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.313 people per person | 0.2943 people per person | 0.3357 people per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.4021 people per person | 0.3424 people per person | 0.4744 people per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.5515 people per person | 0.4903 people per person | 0.6088 people per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.6637 people per person | 0.6197 people per person | 0.7025 people per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.7307 people per person | 0.7086 people per person | 0.7484 people per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.7621 people per person | 0.7505 people per person | 0.774 people per person | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
- 63 Spain 0.7812 people per person compare
- 64 Cape Verde 0.7763 people per person compare
- 65 Bulgaria 0.7742 people per person compare
- 67 Iran, Islamic Republic of 0.7738 people per person compare
- 68 United States Virgin Islands 0.7733 people per person compare
- 69 Cuba 0.7723 people per person compare
More population data for Malaysia
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.2671 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -5.88 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.2671 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.2686 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 41,032 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.8625 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.1472 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth -0.3% (2100)
- Population density 134 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 1.91 million people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita in Malaysia?
- Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita in Malaysia was 0.774 people per person in 2025, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.774 people per person in 2025.
- What is the lowest number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2607 people per person in 1960.
- How does Malaysia rank for number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita?
- Malaysia ranks 66th out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
- Is number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malaysia data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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How this figure is calculated
Number of people living in urban and rural areas divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Number of people living in urban and rural areas ÷ Population, total
Computed from
- Number of people living in urban and rural areas United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
- Population, total World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Number of people living in urban and rural areas divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.