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Malaysia's population has reached an estimated 34.4 million in the first quarter of 2026
This marks a steady climb from the 34.2 million recorded during the same period last year.
According to the latest report by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), the country's population is growing, though the pace has slowed.
Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the growth rate has eased to 0.5%, signalling a maturing demographic trend nationwide.
He added that the male population increased to 18.0 million from 17.9 million last year, while the female population rose to 16.3 million compared to 16.2 million previously.
The current gender ratio stands at 110 men for every 100 women
However, the ratio among citizens is slightly more even: 102 men for every 100 women.
Malaysia is also trending older, with citizens aged 65 and above making up 8.0% of the population.
Meanwhile, the share of those aged 0 to 14 years declined to 21.6%.
Malay Malaysians now make up 58.3% of the total population, while Chinese Malaysians and Indian Malaysians represent 22.1% and 6.5% respectively
Birth rates continued a downward trend, with live births dropping to 94,807 this quarter.
This is a visible dip from the 97,843 births recorded in early 2025.
Selangor remains the most active hub for new births, recording 17,990. On the other end of the spectrum, Labuan recorded the lowest number with only 294 births.
