Structural displacement of the earth�s crust is one of many strategies for addressing landslide issues. The current study assessed the structural and lithological control and estimated the likelihood of future landslides along the case study area of Taiping to Ipoh section of the Highway network in Malaysia. Frequency ratio analysis, fry analysis, distance correlation analysis, simple multi-attribute rating technique (SMART) multi-criteria decision analysis, and radial fractal analysis methods were employed for evaluating structural patterns for landslides hazards and estimating the number of expected landslides in the area. A visual assessment of fry points generated from landslide occurrences suggests a predominant affiliation to the NW�SE tectonic trend. The SMART multi-criteria model reveals that 23.1 of the study location is a high-risk zone. Validation of the predictive model using the receiver operating curve and area under curve (ROC/AUC) analysis suggests an accuracy level of 77.8. Conclusively, the lithological assessment revealed that granite and allied rock lithological units are more susceptible to landslide occurrences across the study area. A spatial estimation of landslide occurrences shows the possibility of an additional 78 landslides within the Taiping to Ipoh Segment of the highway. Therefore, given the results of this research, the appropriate mitigations can be taken to ensure safety. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.