Kuala Lumpur’s economic prowess is also affirmed by the fact that 8 of Fortune Global 500 companies have their headquarters located in Malaysia’s capital city. These global firms include petroleum refiner Petronas.
Floods in Kuala Lumpur are common during monsoon season when there is heavy rain. Another aggravating factor is that Malaysia’s capital city is located beside the Gombak River and the Klang River.
In fact, Kuala Lumpur means “Muddy Confluence” in Malay. Nicknames for Kuala Lumpur include “KL” and “The Garden City of Lights”.
Ranked as the 26th top export nation, Malaysia exported US$238.2 billion worth of goods around the globe in 2019. The most valuable exported products from Malaysia are electronic integrated circuits (18.8% of its global total), processed petroleum oils (6.3%), petroleum gas (4.5%), semi-conductor devices (3.7%), palm oil (3.5%), crude oil (3%), computers (2.8%), solid state storage devices (1.8%), clothing and accessories (also 1.8%) then phone system devices including smartphones (1.7%) according to the International Trade Centre.
Capital Facts for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Quick Reference
Geography
Capital landmarks: Menara Kuala Lumpur Tower, Kuala Lumpur Railway Station and the Putra Mosque
Famous People
Below, you will find 10 of the most famous people born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
- Sheila Majid, singer & actress (born Jan. 3, 1965)
- Shila Amzah, singer-songwriter, actress & producer (born Aug. 13, 1990)
- Indi Nadarajah, actor & comedian (born Jul. 2, 1959)
- Siti Nurhaliza, singer & businesswomen (born Jan. 11, 1979)
- Carmen Soo, model, actress & TV host (born Oct. 14, 1977 )
- Nur Dhabitah Sabri, Commonwealth Games diver (born Jul. 12, 1999)
- Tony Fernandes, co-founder Tune Group entertainment (born Apr. 30, 1964)
- Tiara Jacquelina, actress & producer (born Oct. 3, 1967)
- Ling Tan, fashion supermodel (born Oct. 9, 1974)
- Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia’s first prime minister (born Feb. 8, 1903)
Note: Data for our Famous People tab was sourced from Google searches of published Wikipedia articles specific to each person’s name.
Population
Demonym for a Kuala Lumpur resident: Kuala Lumpurian
Population: 7,996,830 (Kuala Lumpur) at June 22, 2020
Density: 85,358 people per square mile (32,909 per square kilometer)
Population: 32,357,496 (Malaysia) at June 22, 2020
Density: 255 people per square mile (99 per square kilometer)
Median age for all Malaysians: 30.3 years old
Financial
GDP: US$1.079 trillion in 2019 (Malaysia)
GDP per person: $32,881
Note: The above GDP metrics are on a Purchasing Power Parity basis and are in U.S. dollars.
Official currency used in Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian ringgit
Research
Research Sources:
Brookings Institution, Global Metro Monitor Report (includes GDP data).
Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, Asia: Malaysia.
Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, Field Listing: Major Urban Areas.
CityMetric, Where are largest cities in the world? 2015 edition.
Demographia, World Urban Area, 12th Annual Edition.
Fortune, 2015 Global 500.
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Databases.
International Trade Centre, Trade Map.
Official Government Website, Official Portal of Kuala Lumpur City Hall.
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), 2016 Cities of Opportunity Report.
Wikimedia Commons, City Flags.
Note: Some city flags were unavailable. If so, attribution belongs to Wikimedia Commons for pertinent country flags.
Wikipedia, Kuala Lumpur.
Wikipedia, Greater Kuala Lumpur.
Wikipedia, Malaysia.
Wikipedia, Putrajaya.
Wikipedia, Capital Districts and Territories.
WorldOMeter, Malaysia Population
Malaysia gained its independence from the United Kingdom on August 31, 1957. Malaysians celebrate Independence Day each August 31. Malaysia Day is the following public holiday on each September 16.
Kuala Lumpur’s city boundaries plus its metropolitan area known as Greater Kuala Lumpur cover an area measuring 94 square miles (243 square kilometers) which 8 million people call home.
Zooming out to the country level, Malaysia’s land territory covers 126,854 square miles (328,550 square kilometers). The national population count was 32.4 million inhabitants as of June 2020.
Population density is much more intense within Malaysia’s capital city with an average 85,358 Kuala Lumpurians per square mile (32,909 per square kilometer).
Density thins out when you consider the overall national boundaries, to the tune of 255 Malaysians per square mile (99 per square kilometer).
