# List of cities and towns in Malaysia by population

This article details the list of the most populous settlements in Malaysia. Malaysia designates all populated regions into three categories: a district, municipality, or city. While district boundaries are limited to individual state-drawn district boundaries, some municipalities and cities are made up of several smaller component districts whose elevated status forms a local government. Thus, this list does not include component districts and only includes overall administrative localities defined by their respective local governments.

## Within defined boundaries

This table lists all cities, municipalities and districts in Malaysia whose population exceeds 250,000 people, according to statistics published in the 2020 Malaysian census by the Malaysian Department of Statistics (DOSM). There are 34 populated regions in Malaysia whose population exceeds 250,000 people. All 13 states and the Federal Territories have at least one city, municipality or district whose population exceeded 250,000 people.
This table displays:
* The settlement name;
* The state in which the settlement is located;
* The settlement's population as of 2020, as estimated in the 2020 census conducted by the DOSM;
* The settlement's population as of 2010, as estimated in the 2010 census conducted by the DOSM;
* The settlement's population difference between 2010 and 2020;
* The land area of the settlement's defined boundaries in square kilometres (km$^2$);
* The population density of the settlement in people per square kilometres (/km$^2$), as estimated by the settlement's 2020 population figures.
Key (local governments) :
| | Regions administered by city halls and councils (Dewan/Majlis Bandaraya) |
| | Regions administered by municipal councils (Majlis Perbandaran) |
| | Regions administered by district councils (Majlis Daerah) |
| $^†$ | National capital |
| $^#$ | State administrative capitals |
| $^*$ | State royal capitals |
List of the largest cities, municipalities, districts in Malaysia (in accordance to population figures of over 250,000 people) :
| City, municipality or district | State | Government census figures | Government census figures | Government census figures | Land area | Density |
| City, municipality or district | State | 2020 | 2010 | Diff. | Land area | Density |
| Kuala Lumpur$^†$ | Federal Territories | 1,982,112 | 1,588,750 | +24.76% | 243 km$^2$ | 8,156/km$^2$ |
| Kajang | Selangor | 1,047,356 | 795,522 | +31.66% | 788 km$^2$ | 1,329/km$^2$ |
| Seberang Perai | Penang | 946,092 | 818,097 | +15.65% | 751 km$^2$ | 1,265/km$^2$ |
| Subang Jaya | Selangor | 902,086 | 708,296 | +27.36% | 162 km$^2$ | 5,568/km$^2$ |
| Klang$^*$ | Selangor | 902,025 | 744,062 | +21.23% | 573 km$^2$ | 1,574/km$^2$ |
| Johor Bahru$^#$ | Johor | 858,118 | 497,067 | +72.64% | 373 km$^2$ | 2,300/km$^2$ |
| Shah Alam$^#$ | Selangor | 812,327 | 541,306 | +50.07% | 290 km$^2$ | 2,801/km$^2$ |
| George Town$^#$ | Penang | 794,313 | 708,127 | +12.17% | 306 km$^2$ | 2,596/km$^2$ |
| Petaling Jaya | Selangor | 771,687 | 613,977 | +25.69% | 97 km$^2$ | 7,955/km$^2$ |
| Selayang | Selangor | 764,327 | 542,409 | +40.91% | 546 km$^2$ | 1,400/km$^2$ |
| Ipoh$^#$ | Perak | 759,952 | 657,892 | +15.51% | 643 km$^2$ | 1,182/km$^2$ |
| Seremban$^#$ | Negeri Sembilan | 681,541 | 515,490 | +32.21% | 923 km$^2$ | 738/km$^2$ |
| Iskandar Puteri | Johor | 575,977 | 529,074 | +8.87% | 403 km$^2$ | 1,429/km$^2$ |
| Kuantan$^#$ | Pahang | 548,014 | 427,515 | +28.19% | 324 km$^2$ | 1,691/km$^2$ |
| Sungai Petani | Kedah | 545,053 | 443,488 | +22.90% | 913 km$^2$ | 597/km$^2$ |
| Ampang Jaya | Selangor | 531,904 | 468,961 | +13.42% | 144 km$^2$ | 3,964/km$^2$ |
| Kota Kinabalu$^#$ | Sabah | 500,425 | 452,058 | +10.70% | 352 km$^2$ | 1,422/km$^2$ |
| Malacca City$^#$ | Melaka | 453,904 | – | – | 270 km$^2$ | 1,681/km$^2$ |
| Sandakan | Sabah | 439,050 | 396,290 | +10.79% | 2,275 km$^2$ | 193/km$^2$ |
| Alor Setar$^#$ | Kedah | 423,868 | 405,523 | +4.52% | 666 km$^2$ | 636/km$^2$ |
| Tawau | Sabah | 420,806 | 397,673 | +5.82% | 6,149 km$^2$ | 68/km$^2$ |
| Batu Pahat | Johor | 401,210 | 209,461 | +91.54% | 1,873 km$^2$ | 214/km$^2$ |
| Kota Bharu | Kelantan | 396,193 | 314,964 | +25.79% | 116 km$^2$ | 3,415/km$^2$ |
| Kuala Terengganu$^{#*}$ | Terengganu | 375,424 | 337,533 | +11.23% | 605 km$^2$ | 621/km$^2$ |
| Kuching$^#$ | Sarawak | 349,147 | 325,132 | +7.39% | 431 km$^2$ | 810/km$^2$ |
| Sepang | Selangor | 324,585 | 207,354 | +56.54% | 619 km$^2$ | 524/km$^2$ |
| Kulim | Kedah | 319,056 | 281,260 | +13.44% | 774 km$^2$ | 412/km$^2$ |
| Muar$^*$ | Johor | 314,776 | 201,148 | +56.49% | 1,376 km$^2$ | 229/km$^2$ |
| Pasir Gudang | Johor | 312,437 | 46,571 | +570.88% | 360 km$^2$ | 868/km$^2$ |
| Kuala Langat | Selangor | 307,418 | 220,214 | +39.60% | 858 km$^2$ | 358/km$^2$ |
| Kulai | Johor | 294,156 | 234,532 | +25.42% | 747 km$^2$ | 394/km$^2$ |
| Kangar$^#$ | Perlis | 284,853 | 225,590 | +26.27% | 795 km$^2$ | 358/km$^2$ |
| Kuala Selangor | Selangor | 281,717 | 205,257 | +37.25% | 1,195 km$^2$ | 236/km$^2$ |
| Padawan | Sarawak | 260,058 | 273,485 | −4.91% | 984 km$^2$ | 264/km$^2$ |

### Distribution

There are 34 settlements in Malaysia with a population of over 250,000 people. All 13 states and the Federal Territories have at least one settlement in the list. West Malaysia has more settlements that fit this criterion than East Malaysia, with 29 settlements against the East's five. The states with the smallest number of settlements in this list are Kelantan, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Terengganu and the Federal Territories, with one locality each respectively, while the state with the highest number of settlements with a population above 250,000 is Selangor, with 10 settlements in the list.
| Population | States | States | States | States | States | States | States | States | States | States | States | States | States | States | Regions | Regions | Total |
| Population | JHR | KDH | KTN | MLK | NSN | PHG | PNG | PRK | PLS | SBH | SWK | SGR | TRG | FT | WM | EM | Total |
| 1,000,000+ | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | 1 | 2 | – | 2 |
| 750,000–999,999 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | 5 | – | – | 9 | – | 9 |
| 500,000–749,999 | 1 | 1 | – | – | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | 1 | – | 1 | – | – | 5 | 1 | 6 |
| 250,000–499,999 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | – | 13 | 4 | 17 |
| Total | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 29 | 5 | 34 |

### Gallery

* 1. Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territories
* 2. Kajang, Selangor
* 3. Seberang Perai, Penang
* 4. Subang Jaya, Selangor
* 5. Klang, Selangor
* 6. Johor Bahru, Johor
* 7. Shah Alam, Selangor
* 8. George Town, Penang
* 9. Petaling Jaya, Selangor
* 10. Selayang, Selangor
* 11. Ipoh, Perak
* 12. Seremban, Negeri Sembilan
* 13. Iskandar Puteri, Johor
* 14. Kuantan, Pahang
* 15. Sungai Petani, Kedah

## Largest metropolitan areas by population

The DOSM does not provide any definitions related to metropolitan areas in Malaysia, nor have any statistical calculations that concern build-up areas surrounding an urban centre. However, several major urban regions, such as Greater Kuala Lumpur, the George Town Conurbation and the Johor Bahru Conurbation (Southern Conurbation), have been well-described as metropolitan areas since the early-2010s by local media and government authorities in the latest edition of the National Physical Plan. Despite this, there remains some ambiguity in defining the actual boundaries of other smaller counterparts.
There are 12 metropolitan areas in Malaysia. Perlis and Kelantan are the only states without one. Greater Kuala Lumpur and the George Town Conurbation are the only metropolitan areas that span multiple states (Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang and Perak; and Penang, Kedah and Perak, respectively). The latter is also the only metropolitan area where the core city is not its most populated settlement (George Town has a population of 794,313, while Seberang Perai has a population of 946,092).
This table displays:
* The metropolitan area rank by population as of 2020, as estimated with individual local authority population figures by the DOSM;
* The name of the metropolitan area;
* The core city of the metropolitan area;
* The metropolitan area's population as of 2020, as estimated in the 2020 census conducted by the DOSM;
* The metropolitan area's population as of 2010, as estimated in the 2010 census conducted by the DOSM;
* The metropolitan area's population difference between 2010 and 2020;
* The land area of the metropolitan area's defined boundaries in square kilometres (km$^2$);
* The population density of the metropolitan area in people per square kilometres (/km$^2$);
List of the largest metropolitan areas in Malaysia by population :
| № | Metropolitan area | Core city | DOSM census figures | DOSM census figures | DOSM census figures | Land area | Density (2020) | Ref. |
| № | Metropolitan area | Core city | 2020 | 2010 | Diff. | Land area | Density (2020) | Ref. |
| 1 | Greater Kuala Lumpur | Kuala Lumpur | 9,085,737 | 7,119,252 | +27.62% | 7,143 km$^2$ | 3,062/km$^2$ | |
| 2 | George Town Conurbation | George Town | 2,843,344 | 2,331,180 | +21.97% | 3,765 km$^2$ | 756/km$^2$ | |
| 3 | Johor Bahru Conurbation | Johor Bahru | 2,487,601 | 1,495,098 | +66.38% | 4,954 km$^2$ | 502/km$^2$ | |
| 4 | Greater Ipoh | Ipoh | 984,586 | 828,174 | +18.89% | 1,988 km$^2$ | 495/km$^2$ | |
| 5 | Greater Kota Kinabalu | Kota Kinabalu | 949,931 | 855,556 | +11.03% | 3,277 km$^2$ | 290/km$^2$ | |
| 6 | Greater Kuching | Kuching | 934,515 | 857,110 | +9.03% | 2,031 km$^2$ | 460/km$^2$ | |
| 7 | Greater Kuantan [ms] | Kuantan | 884,754 | 697,788 | +26.79% | 5,211 km$^2$ | 170/km$^2$ | |
| 8 | Seremban metropolitan | Seremban | 795,279 | 613,324 | +29.67% | 1,534 km$^2$ | 518/km$^2$ | |
| 9 | Malacca City metropolitan | Malacca City | 642,761 | 484,885 | +32.56% | 308 km$^2$ | 2,087/km$^2$ | |
| 10 | Greater Miri [ms] | Miri | 546,338 | 502,135 | +8.80% | 9,069 km$^2$ | 60/km$^2$ | |
| 11 | Alor Setar metropolitan | Alor Setar | 423,868 | 405,523 | +4.52% | 609 km$^2$ | 696/km$^2$ | |
| 12 | Kuala Terengganu metropolitan | Kuala Terengganu | 375,424 | 337,533 | +11.23% | 605 km$^2$ | 621/km$^2$ | |