Malaysia has a population density of 287 people per square mile compared to 5,493 people in the Vatican. Malaysia has 100,140 sq ft of land per person vs 5,274 sq ft in the Vatican. Malaysia and the Vatican rank 85th and 3rd by population density, respectively.
Population density is calculated as the ratio of population to land area. Malaysia has 0.44% of the world's population and 0.22% of all countries' land area, compared to 0.00001% of the population and 0.0000003% of the land area for the Vatican, making the population density in Malaysia 94.8% lower than in the Vatican.
Population density by year
people per square mile
| Year | Population density | |
|---|---|---|
Malaysia
|
Vatican
|
|
| 2026 | 287 | 5,493 |
| 2025 | 283.7 | 5,460 |
| 2024 | 280.3 | 5,362 |
| 2023 | 276.9 | 5,460 |
| 2022 | 273.5 | 5,602 |
| 2021 | 270.3 | 5,723 |
| 2020 | 267.2 | 5,810 |
| 2019 | 263.6 | 5,886 |
| 2018 | 259.4 | - |
| 2017 | 255.1 | 5,886 |
| 2016 | 250.6 | - |
| 2015 | 246.2 | 5,886 |
| 2014 | 242 | 4,956 |
| 2013 | 237.9 | 4,939 |
| 2012 | 233.8 | 4,921 |
| 2011 | 229.9 | 4,897 |
| 2010 | 225.9 | 4,880 |
| 2009 | 221.7 | 4,862 |
| 2008 | 217.3 | 4,850 |
| 2007 | 212.8 | 4,833 |
| 2006 | 208.3 | 5,486 |
| 2005 | 203.7 | 5,421 |
| 2004 | 199.1 | 5,421 |
| 2003 | 194.6 | 5,362 |
| 2002 | 190 | 5,298 |
| 2001 | 185.5 | 5,239 |
| 2000 | 181.1 | 5,180 |
| 1999 | 176.9 | 5,180 |
| 1998 | 172.7 | 5,195 |
| 1997 | 168.5 | 5,217 |
| 1996 | 164.4 | 5,254 |
| 1995 | 160.3 | 5,306 |
| 1994 | 156.2 | 5,373 |
| 1993 | 152.3 | 5,388 |
| 1992 | 148.5 | 5,388 |
| 1991 | 144.6 | 5,395 |
| 1990 | 140.6 | 5,403 |
| 1989 | 136.5 | 5,418 |
| 1988 | 132.4 | 5,433 |
| 1987 | 128.3 | 5,418 |
| 1986 | 124.2 | 5,455 |
| 1985 | 120.2 | 5,462 |
| 1984 | 116.3 | 5,492 |
| 1983 | 112.6 | 5,507 |
| 1982 | 109 | 5,522 |
| 1981 | 105.6 | 5,522 |
| 1980 | 102.3 | 5,500 |
| 1979 | 99.5 | 5,492 |
| 1978 | 97.2 | 5,470 |
| 1977 | 94.9 | 5,448 |
| 1976 | 92.6 | 5,448 |
| 1975 | 90.4 | 5,448 |
| 1974 | 88.3 | 5,470 |
| 1973 | 86.2 | 5,477 |
| 1972 | 84.2 | 5,507 |
| 1971 | 82.2 | 5,559 |
| 1970 | 80.2 | 5,633 |
| 1969 | 78.4 | 5,797 |
| 1968 | 76.7 | 6,176 |
| 1967 | 74.9 | 6,317 |
| 1966 | 73.2 | 6,867 |
| 1965 | 71.4 | 6,830 |
| 1964 | 69.6 | 6,815 |
| 1963 | 67.8 | 6,815 |
| 1962 | 66.1 | 6,808 |
| 1961 | 64.4 | 6,837 |
| 1960 | - | 6,837 |
Data sources: World Bank | Agriculture & Rural Development (1961–2026, retrieved 2026-04-06); United Nations | World Population Prospects (1960–2026, retrieved 2026-03-10); Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) (2000–2019, retrieved 2026-02-20).
GeoRank.org/population-density/malaysia/vatican | CC BY 
From 2006 to 2026, population density in Malaysia increased by 37.8%, compared to a 0.13% growth in the Vatican.
In 2006, Malaysia ranked 92nd by population density and is 85th now. The Vatican was 3rd in 2006 and still ranks 3rd out of 197 currently.
Population density comparison
|
Malaysia
|
Vatican
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Population density | 287 ppl/mi² | 5,493 ppl/mi² |
| Population density rank | 85/197 | 3/197 |
| Population |
36512221
|
936
|
| Land area | 126,854 sq mi | 0.17 sq mi |
| Land area per capita | 99,458 sq ft | 4,736 sq ft |
| Rural population | 23.1% | n/a |
| Urban population | 76.9% | n/a |
| Living in agglomerations of 1M+ people | 24.7% | 0% |
Densely populated cities
|
Malaysia
|
|
|---|---|
| City | Population |
| Kuala Lumpur | 9M |
| Klang | 878K |
| Ipoh | 867K |
| Johor Bahru | 798K |
| George Town | 794K |
| Shah Alam | 741K |
| Subang Jaya | 708K |
| Petaling Jaya | 639K |
| Kuantan | 608K |
| Sungai Petani | 545K |
Compare countries by 7 more topics
Population density in other countries
Data sources: World Bank | Agriculture & Rural Development (1961–2026, retrieved 2026-04-06); United Nations | World Population Prospects (1961–2026, retrieved 2026-03-10); U.S. Census Bureau (1961–2025, retrieved 2026-02-08); Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) (2000–2019, retrieved 2026-02-20).
GeoRank.org/population-density/malaysia/vatican | CC BY
Help us show the world through your eyes
Share a photo of your city and help others discover what it looks like to live there. Your contribution makes our data come alive.
Data sources:
- World Bank | Agriculture & Rural Development (1961–2026, retrieved 2026-04-06)
- United Nations | World Population Prospects (1960–2026, retrieved 2026-03-10)
- U.S. Census Bureau (1961–2025, retrieved 2026-02-08)
- Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) (2000–2019, retrieved 2026-02-20)
- Wikidata (2010–2025, retrieved 2026-02-08)
Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) — you’re free to copy, share, remix, adapt, and use even commercially as long as you give appropriate credit and clearly indicate if you made changes. Other sources may be subject to different license terms.