Kuala Lumpur vs Singapore

Singapore leads Kuala Lumpur by 21 points on the CIRA Index, 85 to 64. Kuala Lumpur grades better on 3 measures, Singapore on 15; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: Kuala Lumpur 64, Singapore 85
• OECD: Kuala Lumpur 61, Singapore 82
• UN Tourism: Kuala Lumpur 73, Singapore 92
• UNDRR: Kuala Lumpur 59, Singapore 81

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Kuala Lumpur 63, Singapore 75
• Economy and jobs: Kuala Lumpur 75, Singapore 94
• Climate and hazards: Kuala Lumpur 50, Singapore 55
• Water and environment: Kuala Lumpur 81, Singapore 100
• Community and housing: Kuala Lumpur 50, Singapore 94
• Access and continuity: Kuala Lumpur 67, Singapore 92

Where Kuala Lumpur is stronger

• Domestic share of nights: 44.6 % of nights by residents of the same country (Tourism Malaysia, Malaysia Tourism Statistics in Brief 2024, 2024). Between 35 and 45: grade 3/4.
• Recovery against 2019: 119.3 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (Tourism Malaysia, Malaysia Tourism Statistics in Brief 2024 & HVS Research / Tourism Malaysia, 2024). At or above 110: grade 4/4.
• Wildfire and storm hazard: low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 3/4.

Where Singapore is stronger

• Largest foreign market: 18.3 % of international arrivals or nights (Singapore Tourism Board, 2025). Between 15 and 20: grade 3/4.
• Average length of stay: 3.5 nights per visitor (Singapore Department of Statistics, Latest News & Data - Tourism, 2025). Between 2.8 and 3.5: grade 3/4.
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 81.8 % average annual occupancy (Singapore Tourism Board, Singapore Achieves Historical High in Tourism Receipts in 2024, 2024). At or above 75: grade 4/4.
• Income per head: 163,354 GDP per capita, USD PPP (World Bank WDI, 2025). At or above 60,000: grade 4/4.
• Extreme heat days: 0.4 days a year at or above 35°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). At or below 5: grade 4/4.
• Country disaster risk: 0.7 INFORM Risk index, 0–10 (INFORM Risk (European Commission JRC), INFORM Risk Mid 2026, 2026). At or below 2: grade 4/4.
• Wastewater safely treated: 100 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (SDG 6 Data, Country (or area) | SDG 6 Data, 2024). At or above 95: grade 4/4.
• Municipal waste per resident: 303 kg per resident per year (National Environment Agency (NEA), Waste Statistics and Overall Recycling, 2025). At or below 350: grade 4/4.
• Green space: 40 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (Singapore Green Plan 2030 (Government of Singapore), 2026). At or above 40: grade 4/4.
• Tourism intensity: 9.8 visitor nights per resident per year (Singapore Tourism Board and Singapore Department of Statistics, 2024). Between 5 and 10: grade 3/4.
• Short-let density: 0 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), short-term accommodation rules, 2026). At or below 0.5: grade 4/4.
• Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Land Transport Authority (LTA) & Singapore Tourism Board, 2026). At or above 4: grade 4/4.
• Early warning and emergency plan: An updated, tested plan that names visitors and tourism operators, with warnings in several languages (Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), 2026). Grade 4/4.
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: A plan tested in an exercise or a real event, with lessons published (Singapore Tourism Board (STB), 2024–2026). Grade 4/4.
• Government effectiveness: 100 World Bank WGI percentile rank, 0–100 (World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025). At or above 80: grade 4/4.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

• Malaysia: #26 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
• Singapore: #13 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

Kuala Lumpur in full · Singapore in full

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