Rising City Index · November 2026 all 1029 cities ×

Kota Bharu

Malaysia · 0.5 million people · =422 of 1029

Keeping pace, from the middle.

Where it stands (2020–24 data)Middle

Light trendStable

Rising City Index grade BB

45.5 out of 100Based on 6 of 6 forces

What this grade says

Kota Bharu scores 45.5 out of 100 against fixed benchmarks. Strongest: connections and energy. Weakest: transport and environment. It starts from the middle (2020–24 levels). Night-time light is growing at about the same pace as before 2022.

Economy56

473rd of 1031 cities

Connections74

237th of 1022 cities

Energy58

276th of 1032 cities

People49

312th of 1032 cities

Transport7

800th of 948 cities

Environment29

723rd of 1032 cities

The grade is the average of the six force scores, and can sit at most two bands above the city's third-weakest force. AAA and AA need all six forces scored.

How to read the table: every measure is scored from 0 to 100 against a fixed benchmark (the line under each measure), not against other cities. Adding cities never changes this score. Black bars = a score below 15.

MeasureKota BharuScore against the benchmarkScore

Economy · 56 out of 100

Night-time light, 2015–250 = no growth · 100 = +10% a year (light ×2.6 in a decade) +39% 33

Research output, 2015–240 = no growth · 100 = output ×8 in a decade (+23.1% a year; set high because new journals entering the index inflate growth) · scored only with at least 100 works in 2015 +342% 78

Income per person, 2015–20Context, not in the grade: its period ends in the COVID year (2020) +2% –

Connections · 74 out of 100

Fixed internet speed growth, 2020–230 = no gain · 100 = +50% a year · growth counted from at least 15 Mbps +158% 74

Air passengers, 2015–25Extra fact, not in the grade: no single worldwide airport source; filled as official files arrive not reported –

Internet speed reached, 2023Context, not in the grade: a level, not a change (it counts in “where it stands”) 181 Mbps –

Energy · 58 out of 100

Sun and wind added within 100 km, 2015–250 = none · 100 = 350 W per person per decade (the world average pace 2015–25, IRENA) 60.0 W per person 16

Clean share of new power within 100 km, 2015–250 = all new power nearby is fossil · 100 = all of it is clean (solar, wind, hydro, nuclear, geothermal); scored where at least 100 MW was built 100% 100

People · 49 out of 100

Population growth, 2015–250 = shrinking or flat · 100 = +3% a year +26% 79

Human development (region), 2015–200 = no gain · 100 = +0.008 a year · Regional figure: every city in the province shares this value. +0.008 20

Transport · 7 out of 100

Residents near public transport0 = 0% · 100 = 100% (UN target: everyone by 2030) 7% 7

Metro and rapid bus opened per million people, 2015–25Extra fact, not in the grade: no single worldwide metro source; filled as official records arrive not reported –

Environment · 29 out of 100

Land built vs people added, 2010–200 = land grows 2× faster than people · 100 = land grows at most 0.35 times as fast 0.55 (1 = land and people grow together) 88

Fine-particle air pollution, 2013–15 to 2021–230 = no fall · 100 = −8% a year (China's 2013–20 pace), or already at or below 5 µg/m³ (the WHO guideline) +1% 0

Greenness of built-up land, 2015–250 = −0.03 a decade (losing green) · 100 = +0.10 a decade −0.042 0

Weakest forces

transport · environment

Its two lowest force scores. Strongest: connections · energy.

Sources: NASA Black Marble · EU JRC GHSL Urban Centre Database R2024A (air, greenness, sprawl, human development, internet) and GHS-POP (people within 100 km) · UN-Habitat SDG 11.2.1 · OpenAlex · Global Energy Monitor · airport operators and aviation authorities · metro and transit operators. Mostly Estimates. Every score is measured against a fixed benchmark, not against other cities. Nobody can pay for or submit data to a grade. How the grade works