Largest Urban Areas by Population in Malaysia (2026)

Most of these figures are from the 2000 census, 26 years old.

171 urban areas in Malaysia with 10,000 or more inhabitants, ranked by population at the census of July 5, 2000 (by Department of Statistics Malaysia). An urban area is a continuous built-up area, which can span several municipalities. 59 places have a newer figure, from the 2010 census.

Rank	Urban Area	Population
1	Kuala Lumpur	1,588,750(2010 census)
2	KlangPort Kelang	826,400(2010 census)
3	Johor Bahru (Johor Baharu)	809,900(2010 census)
4	Subang Jaya	718,200(2010 census)
5	Ipoh	665,600(2010 census)
6	Petaling Jaya	614,000(2010 census)
7	Kuching	511,500(2010 census)
8	Ampang Jayaincl. Ulu Kelang	469,000(2010 census)
9	Shah Alam	443,200(2010 census)
10	Kota Kinabalu	414,400(2010 census)
11	Kuantan	384,300(2010 census)
12	Seremban	374,400(2010 census)
13	Sandakan	324,200(2010 census)
14	Kuala Terengganu	315,600(2010 census)
15	Kajangincl. Sungai Chua	307,200(2010 census)
16	Kota Bharu (Kota Baharu)	297,700(2010 census)
17	Tawau	257,400(2010 census)
18	Alor Setar	254,800(2010 census)
19	Taiping	245,200(2010 census)
20	Bukit Mertajam	236,700(2010 census)
21	Batu 9 Cherasincl. Sungai Raya, Taman Suntex	232,100(2010 census)
22	Miri	225,900(2010 census)
23	Selayang Baru	205,100(2010 census)
24	George TownPinang	198,300(2010 census)
25	Sungai Petani	195,100(2010 census)
26	Pasir Gudang	189,000(2010 census)
27	Kulim	183,500(2010 census)
28	Sibu	181,500(2010 census)
29	Malacca (Melaka)	181,400(2010 census)
30	Kluang (Keluang)	159,600(2010 census)
31	Sungai Ara	153,100(2010 census)
32	Batu Pahat (Bandar Penggaram)	152,200(2010 census)
33	Gelugor	145,600(2010 census)
34	Kulai	136,400(2010 census)
35	Bintulu	135,100(2010 census)
36	Butterworth	123,900(2010 census)
37	Muar (Bandar Maharani)	121,100(2010 census)
38	Lahad Datu	107,900(2010 census)
39	Ayer Itam	104,800(2010 census)
40	Sekudai	101,900(2010 census)
41	Balakong	101,800(2010 census)
42	Rawang	98,600(2010 census)
43	Semenyih	95,700(2010 census)
44	Kangar	95,200(2010 census)
45	Ulu Tiram	93,600(2010 census)
46	Bedong	88,800(2010 census)
47	Val d'Or	88,600(2010 census)
48	Donggongon	86,200(2010 census)
49	Chukai (Kemaman)	86,100(2010 census)
50	Taman Greenwoodincl. Taman Gombak	80,200(2010 census)
51	Nilai	80,100(2010 census)
52	Keningau	80,000(2010 census)
53	Cyberjaya	79,200(2010 census)
54	Port Dickson	78,300(2010 census)
55	Teluk Intan (Telok Anson)	78,100(2010 census)
56	Kuah	77,700(2010 census)
57	Jitra	75,900(2010 census)
58	Labuan (Victoria)	68,726(2010 census)
59	Putrajaya	68,361(2010 census)
60	Putatan	61,744
61	Segamat	56,448
62	Perai	55,947
63	Banting	50,274
64	Dungun (Kuala Dungun)	50,206
65	Bukit Baru	47,885
66	Senai	46,880
67	Simpang EmpatSitiawan	44,934
68	Semporna	43,469
69	Pontian Kecil	40,675
70	Bentong	40,373
71	Gombak Setiaincl. Taman Perwira	38,870
72	Kuang	38,870
73	Kota Tinggi	38,863
74	Temerloh	36,714
75	Pangkal Kalong	34,430
76	Kuala Selangor	33,348
77	Sungai Siput	32,565
78	Kuala Kangsar	32,468
79	Mentakab	32,260
80	Raub	31,810
81	Lumut	31,545
82	Batu Gajah	31,523
83	Klebang	30,509
84	Nibong Tebal	30,452
85	Ayer Keroh	27,746
86	Pekan	27,667
87	Kudat	27,370
88	Kampung Koh	27,329
89	Tangkak	26,925
90	Masjid Tanah	25,728
91	Jenjarom	25,152
92	Sarikei	25,053
93	Tanah Merah	24,834
94	Jerantut	24,677
95	Bahau	24,422
96	Bidor	24,112
97	Permatang Kuching	23,889
98	Parit Buntar	23,676
99	Tanjong Tokong	23,559
100	Sungai Udang	22,610
101	Tampin	22,329
102	Pengkalan Kundang	22,304
103	Batu Berendam	22,197
104	Serendah	22,184
105	Sungai Besar	21,326
106	Tapah	21,320
107	Sri Aman	21,243
108	Peringat	20,721
109	Yong Peng	20,286
110	Bukit Bakri	20,284
111	Bukit Beruntung	20,023
112	Mersing	19,988
113	Kuala Kraiincl. Guchil	19,573
114	Limbang	19,018
115	Kuala Kubu Baru	18,861
116	Kampar	18,773
117	Paka	18,502
118	Kerteh	18,337
119	Kuala Pilah	18,105
120	Alor Gajah	17,688
121	Lawan Kuda Baharu	17,539
122	Labis	17,513
123	Marang	17,307
124	Pasir Mas	17,217
125	Pekan Nenas	17,190
126	Kadok	17,064
127	Wakaf Bharu	17,033
128	Parit Raja	16,953
129	Kuala Kedah	16,909
130	Bagan Serai	16,682
131	Bandar Baru Salak Tinggi	16,630
132	Gua Musang	16,578
133	Batu Arang	15,799
134	Tanjong Bungah	15,783
135	Ayer Tawar	15,632
136	Ranau	15,629
137	Kunak	15,605
138	Bestari Jaya (Batang Berjuntai)	15,442
139	Sekinchan	15,364
140	Kepala Batas	15,285
141	Papar	15,277
142	Bukit Rambai	15,212
143	Tanjong Sepat	15,077
144	Tanjong Malim	14,945
145	Simpang Rengam	14,920
146	Ayer Molek	13,692
147	Kapit	13,610
148	Kuala Lipis	13,605
149	Pantai Remis	13,452
150	Gurun	13,118
151	Sabak	13,068
152	Batu 8 Bazaar	12,780
153	Kuala Perlis	12,686
154	Beaufort	12,604
155	Bemban	12,424
156	Kinarut	12,415
157	Tanjong Karang	12,385
158	Jertih	11,930
159	Kelapa Sawit	11,733
160	Tumpat	11,692
161	Buloh Kasap	11,142
162	Juru	11,005
163	Bandar Jengka Pusat	10,864
164	Kuala Sungai Baru	10,687
165	Pulau Sebang	10,511
166	Sungai Pelek	10,470
167	Bukit Tinggi	10,467
168	Beranang	10,394
169	Kota Samarahan	10,284
170	Kota Belud	10,096
171	Chaah	9,864

Source: Department of Statistics Malaysia (2000 census), via City Population by Thomas Brinkhoff.

Why don't these match official city populations?Official figures typically count only the population within administrative boundaries. UN urban area figures cover the entire built-up area, which can include multiple cities and towns.Show moreShow less

Tokyo

33,338,852

Urban area

9,953,160

23 wards

Essen

2,709,375

Urban area

573,618

City of Essen

Ankara

3,630,865

Urban area

5,186,002

Metropolitan municipality

What counts as an urban area? The UN uses satellite imagery to map built-up land, and treats each continuous stretch of built-up land as an urban area. This means that urban areas can extend beyond official city boundaries, and may include multiple cities and towns within a single urban area.

Can an urban area be smaller than its city? Yes. While most cities have urban areas larger than their administrative boundaries, some cities have extensive administrative limits that include sparsely populated areas.

42 urban areas in Malaysia with 50,000 or more inhabitants, ranked by the UN's population estimates for 2026.

Rank	Urban Area	Population Estimate (2026)	Yearly Change	Land Area (km²)	Density (P/km²)	World Rank	Projections (2030)	Projections (2050)
1	Kuala Lumpur	8,565,445	+1.42%	1,360	6,298	41	9,052,302	10,627,280
2	Johor Bahru	1,713,260	+1.02%	400	4,281	289	1,782,950	2,098,641
3	Ipoh	831,599	+1.02%	213	3,897	637	865,607	910,305
4	Kota Kinabalu	800,493	+1.33%	175	4,579	668	842,925	1,014,684
5	George Town	769,761	+0.50%	137	5,611	697	785,270	825,879
6	Kuching	593,455	+1.11%	134	4,422	929	619,755	731,847
7	Malacca City	563,080	+1.31%	205	2,744	985	592,588	671,695
8	Bukit Mertajam	521,208	+0.74%	153	3,416	1,071	536,736	561,209
9	Kota Bharu	466,911	+1.38%	150	3,109	1,208	492,774	805,722
10	Seremban	442,015	+1.69%	121	3,653	1,271	471,954	588,842
11	Sandakan	406,297	+1.31%	114	3,552	1,412	427,567	515,564
12	Kuantan	380,832	+1.96%	89	4,289	1,513	410,746	551,833
13	Tawau	379,074	+0.92%	68	5,575	1,519	393,080	453,721
14	Kuala Terengganu	341,474	+4.35%	144	2,371	1,699	400,909	537,493
15	Sungai Petani	312,145	+0.51%	96	3,252	1,857	318,463	352,321
16	Alor Setar	265,784	+0.65%	72	3,712	2,223	272,715	292,122
17	Taiping	223,576	+0.47%	64	3,493	2,661	227,791	246,692
18	Kulim	208,981	+0.48%	54	3,870	2,892	212,984	225,527
19	Rawang	197,529	+1.88%	57	3,490	3,070	212,407	277,285
20	Sibu	191,566	+0.86%	55	3,458	3,177	198,124	227,042
21	Kulai	172,199	+4.20%	54	3,201	3,565	201,152	257,408
22	Kluang	164,781	+1.20%	43	3,868	3,712	172,677	193,594
23	Batu Pahat	155,853	+0.75%	41	3,801	3,943	160,534	199,599
24	Kampong Pulau Melayu	152,314	+0.98%	58	2,617	4,034	158,294	180,954
25	Muar	133,113	+1.30%	49	2,739	4,635	140,011	155,925
26	Lahad Datu	122,888	+1.80%	30	4,152	5,057	131,738	168,175
27	Putrajaya	116,089	+2.94%	41	2,818	5,363	129,759	187,973
28	Bintulu	114,358	+0.80%	45	2,541	5,461	118,025	134,590
29	Sitiawan	95,148	+0.75%	29	3,258	6,564	97,987	109,738
30	Keningau	90,805	+1.31%	23	3,914	6,923	95,579	149,281
31	Semporna	85,253	+1.33%	18	4,684	7,399	89,798	110,126
32	Teluk Intan	82,757	+0.48%	26	3,183	7,640	84,350	90,250
33	Kampung Rinching Hulu	74,839	+1.26%	18	4,158	8,424	78,614	103,028
34	Dungun	70,019	+1.64%	23	3,018	8,970	74,605	97,916
35	Chukai	67,489	+2.24%	26	2,636	9,289	73,527	121,116
36	Bandar Armada Putra	67,109	+2.05%	23	2,969	9,355	72,606	99,216
37	Miri	65,911	+1.89%	30	2,168	9,529	70,893	111,312
38	Bukit Sentosa	63,448	+2.56%	16	4,016	9,900	69,946	131,555
39	Segamat	62,575	+1.40%	23	2,697	10,048	66,082	74,896
40	Simpang Ampat	55,277	+0.41%	17	3,252	11,276	56,173	61,516
41	Nilai	54,775	+2.60%	19	2,945	11,364	60,465	87,277
42	Parit Buntar	54,677	+0.50%	17	3,216	11,381	55,770	60,270

Source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025). World Urbanization Prospects: The 2025 Revision, Online Edition.

Data topics

Reference

Tools

Largest Urban Areas by Population in Malaysia (2026)

See also