Malaysia Demographics

Population of Malaysia (2024)

View live population, charts & trends: Population of Malaysia

Malaysia Population
35,557,673
Yearly Change
+ 1.23%
Global Share
0.44%
Global Rank

Median Age

The median age in Malaysia is 30.5 years (2024).

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)
1.5
(Live Births per Woman, 2024)

Life Expectancy in Malaysia

See also: Countries in the world ranked by Life Expectancy

Both Sexes
76.8 years
(life expectancy at birth, both sexes combined)
Females
79.5 years
(life expectancy at birth, females)
Males
74.4 years
(life expectancy at birth, males)

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

Infant Mortality
5.1
(infant deaths per 1,000 live births)
Deaths under age 5
6.2
(per 1,000 live births)

Malaysia Urban Population

Currently, 76.9 % of the population of Malaysia is urban (27,360,379 people in 2024)

Population Density

The 2024 population density in Malaysia is 108 people per Km2 (280 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 Kuala Lumpur 1,453,975
2 Petaling Jaya 902,086
3 Klang 879,867
4 Johor Bahru 858,118
5 Ipoh 840,000
6 Kampung Baru Subang 833,571
7 Shah Alam 740,750
8 Subang Jaya 708,296
9 Malacca 579,000
10 Kota Bharu 568,900
11 Kuantan 548,014
12 Kota Kinabalu 500,421
13 Sandakan 439,050
14 Kuala Terengganu 426,500
15 Alor Setar 417,800
16 Kuching 402,738
17 Seremban 372,917
18 Tawau 372,615
19 Miri 300,543
20 Pasir Mas 230,424
21 Sungai Petani 228,843
22 Taiping 217,647
23 Bukit Mertajam 212,329
24 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.