[2] However, the town also has a significant ethnic Malay residents of Banjarese ancestry that migrated from Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, Indonesia in the 19th and early 20th century during Dutch and British colonial rule.

Shops are mostly owned by ethnic Chinese, mainly from the Hokkien dialect group who have ancestry in the southern part of China's Fujian province in the city of Zhangzhou.

Express buses goes from Bagan Serai to various towns and cities including Kuala Lumpur, Georgetown, Kulim, Alor Setar, and Ipoh.

Prior to the Ipoh-Padang Besar Electrified Double Tracking Project, the Bagan Serai railway station was upgraded.

Yearly, Bagan Serai has relatively colder climate than other parts of Malaysia due to its location near the Straits of Malacca and away from the equator.