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World Measure
The population almanac240 countries · 31,365 cities · UN WPP 2024
City profile · Malaysia · Asia

Johor Bahru

Johor · Malaysia
City population
858,118
#2
in Malaysia
#1
in Johor
#649
worldwide
Kuala LumpurJohor Bahru
1.466, 103.758 · 296 km from Kuala Lumpur
City population
858,118
Within the city boundary, not a metro area
Rank in Malaysia
#2
of 350 cities of 15,000+
World rank
#649
of 31,365 cities listed
Share of Malaysia
2.4%
of the national population

About Johor Bahru

Situated 296 km from Kuala Lumpur, this city holds 858,118 residents and accounts for 2.4% of Malaysia's national population. It ranks second among the country's 350 listed cities and first within Johor state. Neighbouring settlements cluster closely, with four cities of over 100,000 people located within 10 km, including Kampung Larkin Lama at 4 km with 500,000 residents and Pelentong at 10 km with 583,640.

This summary is AI-generated from the figures on this page. The figures themselves come from the sources cited beside each value.

Position in Malaysia
#2of 350
LargestSmallest
Position in Johor
#1of 55
LargestSmallest

Key Facts

Country
Malaysia
Region
Johor
Rank in region
#1of 55
Distance to capital
296 km
to Kuala Lumpur
Elevation
32 m
Approximate — modelled, not surveyed
Time zone
Asia/Kuala_Lumpur
Coordinates
1.466, 103.758
Record updated
2026-04-14
Entry edited, not measured

City population, GeoNames. GeoNames publishes no year for its population figures, so “record updated” is when the entry was last edited — not the date the population was measured. Elevation is modelled from a digital elevation model rather than surveyed, so it is approximate.

Nearby Cities

All 350 in Malaysia

Closest listed cities by great-circle distance from the city centre.

4KMKampung Larkin Lama500K people7KMKampung Kangkar Teberau412K people8KMPerling101K people10KMPelentong584K people10KMJohor Jaya66K people

Compared with the World's Largest Cities

City-proper population against the fifteen largest cities in the dataset.

  1. Shanghai24.9M
  2. Beijing19M
  3. Shenzhen17.5M
  4. Guangzhou16.1M
  5. Kinshasa16M
  6. Istanbul15.7M
  7. Lagos15.4M
  8. Ho Chi Minh City14M
  9. Chengdu13.6M
  10. Lahore13M
  11. Mumbai12.7M
  12. São Paulo12.4M
  13. Mexico City12.3M
  14. Karachi11.6M
  15. Tianjin11.1M
  16. Johor Bahru858K
City-proper figures only. Administrative boundaries differ between countries, so these are not directly comparable to metropolitan-area estimates.
Johor Bahru compared with the fifteen largest cities
NameCity population
Shanghai24.9M
Beijing19M
Shenzhen17.5M
Guangzhou16.1M
Kinshasa16M
Istanbul15.7M
Lagos15.4M
Ho Chi Minh City14M
Chengdu13.6M
Lahore13M
Mumbai12.7M
São Paulo12.4M
Mexico City12.3M
Karachi11.6M
Tianjin11.1M
Johor Bahru858K

Johor Bahru Population FAQ

What is the population of Johor Bahru?

Johor Bahru has a city population of 858,118. That is the population within the city's own boundary, not its wider metropolitan area. City population, GeoNames.

Where is Johor Bahru?

Johor Bahru is in Johor, Malaysia, 296 km from the capital, Kuala Lumpur. Its coordinates are 1.466, 103.758.

How big is Johor Bahru compared with other cities in Malaysia?

It is the 2nd largest of the 350 cities of 15,000 or more listed in Malaysia, holding 2.4% of the national population.

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