Kuala Lumpur
243 km²
London
1,572 km²
Malaysia
UK
Area Comparison
Kuala Lumpur is 6.5x smaller than London
Population Comparison
Kuala Lumpur has 4.5x fewer people than London
In terms of area, London is 6.5x the size of Kuala Lumpur. London spans 1,572 km² (607 mi²) while Kuala Lumpur covers 243 km² (94 mi²) — a difference of 1,329 km². You could fit Kuala Lumpur inside London approximately 6 times.
To put Kuala Lumpur's size in perspective, its area of 243 km² is about 1.1x the size of Amsterdam. Meanwhile, London at 1,572 km² is about 1.4x smaller than Tokyo (city proper).
Picture Kuala Lumpur another way: its area is large enough to fit about 34,000 American football fields, 120 times the area of Monaco, or 71 times the area of Central Park. For London, that's about 220,000 American football fields, 27 times the area of Manhattan, or 15 times the area of Paris.
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.
Known as "KL", Kuala Lumpur covers 243 km² with a population of 2.0 million. The city was established in 1857. Kuala Lumpur is known for Petronas Twin Towers, Batu Caves, Merdeka 118, among other attractions. The city's main transit system is 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
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of 9.1 million people in 2024. Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Europe, with a population of 15.1 million. London stands on the River Thames in southeast England, at the head of a 50-mile (80 km) tidal estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major settlement for nearly 2,000 years.
Often called "The Big Smoke", London has an area of 1,572 km² and is home to 9.0 million people. It was established in 43. Visitors come for Big Ben, Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace, and much more. Getting around is easy with the London Underground.
London has been a major settlement for nearly 2,000 years, tracing its roots back to Roman times around 47 AD.
Looking beyond city limits, the London metropolitan area covers 8,382 km², which is 3.0x larger than greater Kuala Lumpur at 2,793 km². The London metro area is also more populous, with 14.3 million people compared to 8.4 million.
Kuala Lumpur has a population density of 8,148 people per km² — a densely populated city. London, with 5,712 people per km², is a densely populated city. Both cities have comparable density, though Kuala Lumpur is slightly more compact.
This comparison spans continents — Kuala Lumpur in Asia versus London in Europe. Despite the geographic distance, comparing their sizes reveals surprising insights about how cities grow worldwide.
Kuala Lumpur has a tropical rainforest climate while London experiences oceanic conditions. Winters differ dramatically: Kuala Lumpur stays around 27°C while London drops to 5°C. When it's noon in Kuala Lumpur, it's 4:00 AM in London — a 8-hour time difference.
Size Ratio
Kuala Lumpur fits inside London ~6 times
Density Gap
Kuala Lumpur is 1.4x more densely populated
Time Difference
8 hours apart
History
London is ~1,814 years older
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).
London covers 1,572 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Bangkok (1,569 km²), Bogotá (1,578 km²), São Paulo (1,521 km²), Johannesburg (1,644 km²), or Mexico City (1,485 km²).
The straight-line distance from Kuala Lumpur to London is 10,546 km (6,553 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~12h 54m.
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