Share of population living in rural areas in Malaysia
Malaysia: Share of population living in rural areas was 17.7% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Share of population living in rural areas in Malaysia, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of population living in rural areas in Malaysia stood at 17.7%. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of down 10.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in rural areas in Malaysia peaked at 42.2% in 1950 and was at its lowest, 17.7%, in 2020.
That places Malaysia 166th out of 236 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in rural areas in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 42.2% | — |
| 1955 | 40.4% | -4.4% |
| 1960 | 38.4% | -4.9% |
| 1965 | 36.4% | -5.0% |
| 1970 | 34.7% | -4.7% |
| 1975 | 32.9% | -5.2% |
| 1980 | 31.8% | -3.5% |
| 1985 | 30.1% | -5.2% |
| 1990 | 28.2% | -6.4% |
| 1995 | 25.5% | -9.6% |
| 2000 | 23.0% | -9.8% |
| 2005 | 21.4% | -6.9% |
| 2010 | 19.8% | -7.4% |
| 2015 | 18.5% | -6.7% |
| 2020 | 17.7% | -4.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 41.3% | 40.4% | 42.2% | 2 |
| 1960s | 37.4% | 36.4% | 38.4% | 2 |
| 1970s | 33.8% | 32.9% | 34.7% | 2 |
| 1980s | 31.0% | 30.1% | 31.8% | 2 |
| 1990s | 26.8% | 25.5% | 28.2% | 2 |
| 2000s | 22.2% | 21.4% | 23.0% | 2 |
| 2010s | 19.2% | 18.5% | 19.8% | 2 |
| 2020s | 17.7% | 17.7% | 17.7% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
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 share of population living in rural areas in Malaysia?
- Share of population living in rural areas in Malaysia was 17.7% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in rural areas recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 42.2% in 1950.
- What is the lowest share of population living in rural areas recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.7% in 2020.
- How does Malaysia rank for share of population living in rural areas?
- Malaysia ranks 166th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in rural areas rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malaysia data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Estimated share of the population living in rural areas. Rural areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.