West Coast Division
7 districtsKota Kinabalu
The capital and financial engine of Sabah. Situated between the South China Sea and the foothills of the Crocker Range, KK hosts the state administrative centre, Sepanggar Bay Container Port, and Kota Kinabalu International Airport (BKI).
People
500,400
Median Income
RM 6,407
Penampang
The historic heartland of the Kadazandusun people. Penampang functions as a bustling suburban extension of the greater Kota Kinabalu conurbation, balancing rapid commercial and residential growth with cultural landmarks like Monsopiad and KDCA.
People
162,100
Median Income
RM 6,210
Putatan
Sabah's most densely populated coastal district. Positioned directly south of Kota Kinabalu along the primary rail and road artery, Putatan is a vital transit corridor connecting the state capital to Beaufort and Brunei Bay.
People
88,200
Median Income
RM 5,840
Tuaran
Spanning from Mengkabong estuary to the lower slopes of Mount Kinabalu at Tamparuli and Nabalu. Tuaran is celebrated for its historic tamu markets, agricultural research stations, and major luxury coastal resort strips.
People
135,700
Median Income
RM 4,150
Papar
Traditionally recognized as the food bowl of the West Coast. Papar stretches along the Kimanis coastline and the Papar River basin, acting as a crucial industrial link hosting the Kimanis Petroleum Training Centre and Gas Terminal.
People
150,200
Median Income
RM 4,490
Kota Belud
Home of the Bajau horsemen and extensive alluvial paddy plains. Nestled directly beneath the northern face of Mount Kinabalu, Kota Belud is a strategic agrarian district known for its river basins and heritage tamu markets.
People
107,200
Median Income
RM 3,120
Ranau
A highland district nestled in the Crocker Range and home to Kinabalu UNESCO Global Geopark. Kundasang within Ranau supplies the majority of Sabah's fresh temperate vegetables, tea, and poultry products.
People
105,400
Median Income
RM 3,420
Sandakan Division
5 districtsSandakan
Historically known as Elopura and the colonial capital of North Borneo. Sandakan is Sabah's second-largest urban center, anchoring global palm oil export terminals and world-renowned wildlife sanctuaries at Sepilok.
People
439,050
Median Income
RM 4,380
Kinabatangan
Centered on Sabah's longest river (560 km), Kinabatangan is an economic powerhouse for crude palm oil output, alongside one of the world's most biodiverse riparian rainforest ecosystems in Sukau and Bilit.
People
146,800
Median Income
RM 3,920
Beluran
Flanking Labuk Bay on the northeastern coast. Beluran is predominantly rural, characterized by large-scale oil palm estates, coastal mangrove estuaries, and scattered indigenous Tidong and Kadazandusun settlements.
People
104,100
Median Income
RM 2,890
Telupid
An interior gateway district established along the central highway connecting Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan. Telupid is surrounded by the Tawai Forest Reserve and smallholder agricultural lands.
People
29,400
Median Income
RM 2,980
Tongod
The geographical heart of Sabah and the largest district by land area (10,051 km²). Tongod features dense forest reserves, primary catchments, and emerging sustainable agro-forestry projects.
People
46,800
Median Income
RM 2,750
Tawau Division
5 districtsTawau
Sabah's southeastern trade capital. Situated across Cowie Harbour and directly adjoining Indonesia's North Kalimantan border, Tawau is a major port for oil palm products, cocoa processing, and regional maritime barter trade.
People
420,800
Median Income
RM 4,120
Lahad Datu
Overlooking Darvel Bay, Lahad Datu is home to the specialized Palm Oil Industrial Cluster (POIC) port. It serves as the primary scientific gateway to Danum Valley Conservation Area and Tabin Wildlife Reserve.
People
229,100
Median Income
RM 3,980
Semporna
Famed globally as the gateway to the world-class dive sites of Sipadan and Mabul. Semporna has a proud Bajau Laut seafaring tradition, high marine biodiversity, and Malaysia's leading commercial seaweed industry.
People
166,600
Median Income
RM 3,110
Kunak
Located on the Darvel Bay coastline between Lahad Datu and Semporna. Kunak's fertile volcanic soils host large-scale commercial palm estates, alongside bird's nest cave systems at Madai.
People
68,900
Median Income
RM 3,240
Kalabakan
Gazetted as an independent administrative district from Tawau, Kalabakan borders North Kalimantan. It sits along the frontier of trans-Borneo connectivity and houses expansive commercial industrial timber zones.
People
31,200
Median Income
RM 3,450
Interior Division
7 districtsKeningau
The primary administrative and commercial capital of Sabah's interior valley. Sitting in the rain shadow of the Crocker Range, Keningau is famous for the historic Oath Stone (Batu Sumpah) and agricultural processing.
People
183,400
Median Income
RM 3,890
Tambunan
Often called the Switzerland of the East due to its terraced valley rice fields framed by the Crocker Range and Mount Trusmadi. Tambunan is a cool-climate cultural stronghold of the Dusun ethnic community.
People
35,700
Median Income
RM 3,510
Tenom
Located at the southern terminus of the heritage North Borneo Railway. Tenom sits within the fertile Padas River gorge, world-famous for its traditional roast coffee (Yit Foh/Fatt Choi) and the Sabah Agriculture Park.
People
55,600
Median Income
RM 3,210
Nabawan
Encompassing the expansive southern Murut homelands extending toward the Kalimantan boundary. Nabawan's deep interior topography poses logistical challenges, resulting in distinct living costs and price premiums.
People
31,800
Median Income
RM 2,650
Beaufort
Located on the floodplains of the Padas River. Beaufort is an agricultural and railway transit center famous for its sago processing, local produce, and proboscis monkey river cruises along the Klias Peninsula.
People
75,700
Median Income
RM 3,940
Kuala Penyu
Occupying the tip of the Klias Peninsula facing the South China Sea. Kuala Penyu is recognized for its pristine beaches, mangrove ecosystems, and the bubbling geological mineral mud volcanoes at Pulau Tiga.
People
23,700
Median Income
RM 3,560
Sipitang
Sabah's border gateway to Sarawak and Brunei. Sipitang is rapidly developing into an industrial heavyweight through the Sipitang Oil & Gas Industrial Park (SOGIP) along the Pan-Borneo transport corridor.
People
37,800
Median Income
RM 3,690
Kudat Division
3 districtsKudat
The historic northern tip of Borneo where the South China Sea meets the Sulu Sea at Tanjung Simpang Mengayau. Kudat is the ancestral heart of the Rungus community, renowned for boatbuilding, copra, and artisanal gong making.
People
86,400
Median Income
RM 2,980
Kota Marudu
Situated along Marudu Bay with extensive agricultural plains. Kota Marudu serves as the central commercial hub for northern Sabah, hosting agricultural smallholders and river catchment networks.
People
87,600
Median Income
RM 2,860
Pitas
A rural coastal district along the eastern shores of Marudu Bay. Pitas features extensive mangrove estuarine fisheries and large-scale commercial black tiger prawn aquaculture farms.
People
43,200
Median Income
RM 2,340