Johannesburg
1,644 km²
Kuala Lumpur
243 km²
South Africa
Malaysia
Area Comparison
Johannesburg is 6.8x larger than Kuala Lumpur
Population Comparison
Johannesburg has 2.4x more people than Kuala Lumpur
Johannesburg is significantly larger, covering 6.8 times the area of Kuala Lumpur. Johannesburg spans 1,644 km² (635 mi²) while Kuala Lumpur covers 243 km² (94 mi²) — a difference of 1,401 km². You could fit Kuala Lumpur inside Johannesburg approximately 6 times.
To put Johannesburg's size in perspective, its area of 1,644 km² is roughly the same size as London. Meanwhile, Kuala Lumpur at 243 km² is about 1.1x the size of Amsterdam.
In more relatable units, Johannesburg's 1,644 km² is about 230,000 American football fields, 28 times the area of Manhattan, or 16 times the area of Paris. Kuala Lumpur works out to about 34,000 American football fields, 120 times the area of Monaco, or 71 times the area of Central Park.
Johannesburg, colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg or "The City of Gold", is the most populous city in South Africa. The City of Johannesburg itself has a population of 5,538,596, while the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality has a population of 6,599,190, making it one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, and seat of the country's highest court, the Constitutional Court.
Known as "Jozi", Johannesburg covers 1,644 km² with a population of 4.8 million. The city was established in 1886. Johannesburg is known for Apartheid Museum, Soweto township, Constitutional Court, among other attractions.
Johannesburg ranks among the world's 100 largest urban areas, with a metro population of about 6.6 million.
Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a federal territory of Malaysia. It is the most populous city in the country, covering an area of 243 km2 (94 sq mi) with a population of 2,075,600 as of 2024. Greater Kuala Lumpur, which itself includes the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 8.8 million people as of 2024. It is among the fastest growing metropolitan regions in Southeast Asia, in terms of both population and economic development.
Often called "KL", Kuala Lumpur has an area of 243 km² and is home to 2.0 million people. The city dates back to 1857. Visitors come for Petronas Twin Towers, Batu Caves, Merdeka 118, and much more. Getting around is easy with the RapidKL (LRT, MRT & Monorail).
Kuala Lumpur packs 2.07 million people into just 243 km2, making it Malaysia's most populous city by far
Johannesburg has a population density of 2,920 people per km² — a moderately dense city. Kuala Lumpur, with 8,148 people per km², is a densely populated city. Kuala Lumpur is noticeably denser, packing 2.8 times more people per square kilometer.
Size Ratio
Kuala Lumpur fits inside Johannesburg ~6 times
Density Gap
Kuala Lumpur is 2.8x more densely populated
Johannesburg covers 1,644 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Bogotá (1,578 km²), London (1,572 km²), Bangkok (1,569 km²), Houston (1,725 km²), or São Paulo (1,521 km²).
Kuala Lumpur covers 243 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Boston (232 km²), Edinburgh (259 km²), Osaka (225 km²), Amsterdam (219 km²), or Taipei (272 km²).
The straight-line distance from Johannesburg to Kuala Lumpur is 8,541 km (5,307 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~10h 33m.
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