Malaysia Demographics

Population of Malaysia (2023)

View live population, charts & trends: Population of Malaysia

Malaysia Population
34,308,525
Yearly Change
+ 1.09%
Global Share
0.43%
Global Rank

Median Age

The median age in Malaysia is 30.8 years (2023).

Fertility in Malaysia

A Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of 2.1 represents the Replacement-Level Fertility: the average number of children per woman needed for each generation to exactly replace itself without needing international immigration. A value below 2.1 will cause the native population to decline

pregnant_woman Total Fertiliy Rate (TFR)
1.8
(Live Births per Woman, 2023)

Life Expectancy in Malaysia

See also: Countries in the world ranked by Life Expectancy

Both Sexes
76.4 years
(life expectancy at birth, both sexes combined)
Females
79.0 years
(life expectancy at birth, females)
Males
74.1 years
(life expectancy at birth, males)

Infant Mortality Rate and Deaths of Children under 5 Years Old in Malaysia

Infant Mortality
5.7
(infant deaths per 1,000 live births)
Deaths under age 5
6.7
(per 1,000 live births)

Malaysia Urban Population

Currently, 78.3 % of the population of Malaysia is urban (26,866,688 people in 2023)

Population Density

The 2023 population density in Malaysia is 104 people per Km2 (270 people per mi2), calculated on a total land area of 328,550 Km2 (126,854 sq. miles).

Largest Cities in Malaysia

# CITY NAME POPULATION
1 Kota Bharu 1,459,994
2 Kuala Lumpur 1,453,975
3 Klang 879,867
4 Kampung Baru Subang 833,571
5 Johor Bahru 802,489
6 Subang Jaya 708,296
7 Ipoh 673,318
8 Kuching 570,407
9 Petaling Jaya 520,698
10 Shah Alam 481,654
11 Kota Kinabalu 457,326
12 Sandakan 392,288
13 Seremban 372,917
14 Kuantan 366,229
15 Tawau 306,462
16 George Town 300,000
17 Kuala Terengganu 285,065
18 Sungai Petani 228,843
19 Miri 228,212
20 Taiping 217,647
21 Alor Setar 217,368
22 Bukit Mertajam 212,329
23 Sepang 212,050

See also

Sources

Definitions

Population Pyramid

A Population pyramid (also called "Age-Sex Pyramid") is a graphical representation of the age and sex of a population.

Types:

  • Expansive - pyramid with a wide base (larger percentage of people in younger age groups, indicating high birth rates and high fertility rates) and narrow top (high death rate and lower life expectancies). It suggests a growing population. Example: Nigera Population Pyramid
  • Constrictive - pyramid with a narrow base (lower percentage of younger people, indicating declining birth rates with each succeeding age group getting smaller than the previous one). Example: United States
  • Stationary - with a somewhat equal proportion of the population in each age group. The population is stable, neither increasing nor decreasing.

Stages:

 

Dependency Ratio

There are three types of age dependency ratio: Youth, Elderly, and Total. All three ratios are commonly multiplied by 100.

Youth Dependency Ratio
Definition: population ages 0-15 divided by the population ages 16-64.
Formula: ([Population ages 0-15] ÷ [Population ages 16-64]) × 100

Elderly dependency ratio
Definition: population ages 65-plus divided by the population ages 16-64.
Formula: ([Population ages 65-plus] ÷ [Population ages 16-64]) × 100

Total dependency ratio
Definition: sum of the youth and old-age ratios.
Formula: (([Population ages 0-15] + [Population ages 65-plus]) ÷ [Population ages 16-64]) × 100

NOTE: Dependency Ratio does not take into account labor force participation rates by age group. Some portion of the population counted as "working age" may actually be unemployed or not in the labor force whereas some portion of the "dependent" population may be employed and not necessarily economically dependent.