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A new report from the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) recently dropped, and it's not what many of us would expect
The projections paint an interesting picture of what our country could look like in a few decades, in terms of population growth, sex ratio, and ageing trends.
According to the report, Malaysia's population will keep growing slowly and peak in 2059, slowly declining after
The growth rate is expected to drop sharply, from 1.7% in 2020 to 0.1% by 2060.
Our country is predicted to hit its peak population of 42.38 million in 2059 before experiencing a slow decline:
– 42.37 million in 2060
– 42.08 million in 2065
– 41.43 million in 2070
By 2060, Selangor will still be Malaysia's most populous state with 8.1 million residents
That's followed by Johor (4.99 million) and Sabah (4.89 million).
Meanwhile, the populations of Kelantan, Pahang, Perak, Terengganu, and Putrajaya are expected to see steady growth, even as the national trend slows.
Gender-wise, there are more men than women, and it will likely remain that way
The male population is expected to consistently outnumber females, with the ratio shifting from 1.1 men for every woman in 2020 to 1.14 by 2060.
Malaysia will officially become an "aged society" by 2048 despite only 14% of the population being aged 65 and above
Well, it's all about perspective. In 2020, only 6.8% of the population were aged 65 and above. By 2060, that number is expected to rise to 18.3%.
Meanwhile, the youth population (aged 0–14) will shrink from 24% to just 16%. What's more, the working-age group (aged 15–64) will peak at 70.8% in 2030, then fall to 65.7% by 2060.
And if you thought KL was all young city vibes, the future might say otherwise. By 2060, Kuala Lumpur is expected to have the lowest percentage of young people (only 9.1%), and the highest percentage of elderly residents (26.2%).
