Malaysia vs South Korea: Urban population

Urban population in 2025: 77.4% in Malaysia and 81.2% in South Korea, by UN estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in South Korea, by 3.8 percentage points, or 1.05 times that in Malaysia.

Watch it change on the map

% of people · UN

MalaysiaSouth KoreaUN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025)

What the numbers say

South Korea has been higher since 1951, when it overtook Malaysia.
In 2025, Malaysia ranked 74 and South Korea ranked 59 of 229 countries, counting from the highest.
The UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) puts Malaysia at 91% and South Korea at 83.3% in 2050.

Every year

% of people · UN

Year	Malaysia	South Korea
2025	77.4	81.2
2024	76.9	81.2
2023	76.4	81.2
2022	76	81.2
2021	75.5	81.2
2020	75.1	81.2
2019	74.8	81.3
2018	74.6	81.4
2017	74.2	81.5
2016	73.9	81.6
2015	73.4	81.6
2014	73	81.7
2013	72.5	81.8
2012	72	81.9
2011	71.4	82
2010	70.9	82
2009	70.3	81.9
2008	69.5	81.8
2007	68.8	81.7
2006	67.9	81.6
2005	67	81.4
2004	66.1	81.1
2003	65.1	80.7
2002	64.1	80.3
2001	63	79.9
2000	62	79.6
1999	60.9	79.4
1998	59.7	79.2
1997	58.5	79
1996	57.2	78.8
1995	55.9	78.4
1994	54.6	77.9
1993	53.2	77.1
1992	51.9	76.2
1991	50.5	75.2
1990	49	74
1989	47.4	72.5
1988	45.8	70.6
1987	44	68.6
1986	42.3	66.6
1985	40.6	64.8
1984	39	63.2
1983	37.5	61.5
1982	36.2	60
1981	35.1	58.3
1980	34.2	56.7
1979	33.6	54.9
1978	33	53.1
1977	32.4	51.3
1976	31.9	49.6
1975	31.4	48
1974	30.9	46.5
1973	30.5	45.2
1972	30.1	43.8
1971	29.8	42.4
1970	29.4	40.7
1969	29.1	38.7
1968	28.8	36.5
1967	28.5	34.6
1966	28.1	33.1
1965	27.8	32
1964	27.5	31
1963	27.2	30.1
1962	26.8	29.2
1961	26.5	28.5
1960	26.1	27.7
1959	25.7	27
1958	25.2	26.3
1957	24.7	25.7
1956	24.2	25.1
1955	23.7	24.4
1954	23.1	23.6
1953	22.5	22.9
1952	21.9	22.1
1951	21.3	21.3
1950	20.6	20.6

UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) · 2026–2050

Year	Malaysia	South Korea
2026	77.9	81.2
2027	78.4	81.2
2028	78.9	81.2
2029	79.4	81.2
2030	79.9	81.3
2031	80.4	81.3
2032	80.9	81.3
2033	81.4	81.4
2034	81.9	81.4
2035	82.4	81.4
2036	83	81.5
2037	83.5	81.6
2038	84	81.6
2039	84.6	81.7
2040	85.1	81.8
2041	85.7	81.9
2042	86.3	82
2043	86.8	82.1
2044	87.4	82.3
2045	88	82.4
2046	88.6	82.6
2047	89.2	82.7
2048	89.8	82.9
2049	90.4	83.1
2050	91	83.3

Each country on its own

Good to know

The share of people living in places the country itself counts as urban.
Source: UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025.
The dashed line is the UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025), a scenario rather than a forecast.
Ranks count the 229 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.

How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time

Malaysia vs South Korea: Urban population

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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