malaysian demographics statistics

demographics are statistics that describe the structure of a population — including sex, location of residence, age, and ethnicity.

overall population, annually

for the latest 20 years of data

source: department of statistics malaysia (dosm)

malaysia's overall population has shown a steady increase from 26.5 million in 2006 to 33.4 million in 2023, with a slight dip in 2020 likely influenced by the mco lockdowns. the growth trend resumes post-2021.

overall population growth rate, annually

for the latest 20 years of data

source: department of statistics malaysia (dosm)

the overall population growth rate shows a declining trend from 2006 to 2019, with a notable drop to -0.23% in 2020, likely influenced by the mco lockdowns in march 2020. a recovery is observed in 2023, reaching 2.15%.

current population distribution by sex

as of the latest year of data, 2025

source: department of statistics malaysia (dosm)

the current population distribution shows a higher number of males (17,957,700) compared to females (16,273,900), indicating a male-dominant trend in malaysia's demographics.

population growth by sex, annually

for the last 20 years of data

source: department of statistics malaysia (dosm)

population growth shows a notable increase in 2023 for both sexes, with males at 2.54% and females at 1.73%. a significant decline in female growth to -1.76% occurred in 2020, likely influenced by the mco lockdowns in march 2020.

current population by ethnicity

as of the latest year of data, 2025

source: department of statistics malaysia (dosm)

the population is predominantly bumiputera, with malays at 17.98 million and other bumiputera at 3.78 million. notable is the significant number of non-citizens at 3.38 million, reflecting ongoing migration trends.

population growth by major ethnicity, annually

for the last 10 years of data

source: department of statistics malaysia (dosm)

population growth among bumiputera malays shows a decline post-2020, while bumiputera others experienced negative growth in 2020 and 2021. chinese and indian populations also faced declines, particularly from 2020, likely influenced by the mco lockdowns in march 2020.

population growth by minor ethnicity, annually

for the last 10 years of data

source: department of statistics malaysia (dosm)

population growth among 'other citizen' and 'other non-citizen' groups shows fluctuations, with a significant decline in 2020 likely influenced by the mco lockdowns. notably, 'other non-citizen' growth surged in 2023, reaching 18.59%.

current population distribution by age group

as of the latest year of data, 2025

source: department of statistics malaysia (dosm)

the population distribution shows a significant youth demographic, with the 20–29 age group being the largest at 6.24 million. notably, the 80+ age group is the smallest, with only 383,500 individuals.

population growth by age group, annually

for the last 10 years of data

source: department of statistics malaysia (dosm)

population growth shows a decline in younger age groups (0-19 y.o.) from 2019, with notable drops in 2021 and 2022. the 20-29 y.o. group rebounded in 2023, while older age groups (70+ y.o.) consistently increased, peaking in 2023.

current population distribution by state and federal territory

as of the latest year of data, 2025

source: department of statistics malaysia (dosm)

selangor leads with 21.64% of malaysia's population, followed by johor at 12.29% and sabah at 10.98%. notable outliers include w.p. labuan and w.p. putrajaya, with only 0.29% and 0.35% respectively.

annual births and deaths

for the latest 24 years of data

source: national registration department (jpn)

annual births in malaysia show a declining trend from 2000 to 2021, with a slight increase in 2023. deaths spiked in 2021, likely influenced by the covid-19 pandemic, before decreasing in subsequent years.

annual crude birth and death rate

for the latest 24 years of data

source: national registration department (jpn)

the crude birth rate in malaysia has steadily declined from 22.9 in 2000 to 13.6 in 2023, while the crude death rate increased from 4.3 in 2000 to 5.9 in 2023, with a notable spike to 6.9 in 2021, likely influenced by the covid-19 pandemic.

annual crude birth rate by major ethnicity

for the latest 20 years of data

source: national registration department (jpn)

the crude birth rate for bumiputera malays shows a gradual decline from 21.8 in 2004 to 17.3 in 2023, while the chinese and indian rates have decreased significantly, with the chinese rate dropping to 6.5 in 2023. notably, the indian birth rate saw a slight increase to 10.0 in 2023.

latest births by state and federal territory

as of the latest year of data, 2023

source: national registration department (jpn)

selangor leads in births with 90,535,000, significantly higher than other states, while w.p. labuan shows the lowest at 1,409,000. the data reflects ongoing population trends without notable recent events influencing these figures.

latest crude birth rate by state and federal territory

as of the latest year of data, 2023

source: national registration department (jpn)

kelantan reports the highest crude birth rate at 19.2 per 1,000 population, while kuala lumpur has the lowest at 10.7. terengganu also stands out with a significant rate of 21.6.

annual marriages

for the latest 6 years of data

source: department of statistics malaysia (dosm)

annual marriages in malaysia showed a decline in 2020, likely influenced by the mco lockdowns in march 2020, before rebounding in 2021. the figures remained relatively stable in 2022, with 429,648 marriages recorded.

annual marriage rate

for the latest 6 years of data

source: department of statistics malaysia (dosm)

the annual marriage rate in malaysia shows a general decline from 2017 to 2020, with a notable drop to 46.4% in 2020, likely influenced by the mco lockdowns. however, it rebounded to 58.9% in 2022.

latest crude marriage rate by age group

as of the latest year of data, 2022

source: department of statistics malaysia (dosm)

the crude marriage rate peaks among those aged 25–34, with a notable decline in rates for those aged 35 and above. the significant rise in the 20–29 age group may reflect societal shifts post-covid-19 lockdowns in 2020.

latest crude marriage rate by state and federal territory

as of the latest year of data, 2022

source: department of statistics malaysia (dosm)

the crude marriage rate is highest in putrajaya at 105.6 per 1,000 people, while pulau pinang and sabah show the lowest rates at 36.6 and 36.8 respectively. kelantan and terengganu also exhibit notably high rates, indicating regional variations.

foreign arrivals, monthly

for the latest 36 months of data

source: not available

foreign arrivals show a strong upward trend from april 2022, peaking at over 3.5 million in june 2024. a notable dip occurred in january 2023, likely influenced by post-holiday travel adjustments.

foreign arrivals, by nationality

as of the latest 36 months of data

source: not available

singapore leads foreign arrivals to malaysia with over 38 million visitors, followed by indonesia and thailand with approximately 9 million and 5.5 million, respectively. notable trends reflect strong regional ties, with no significant anomalies observed.