THE population of Malaysia grew 2.3% in the last year, to 34 million in 2024 from 33.2 million in 2023.

Chief statistician Mohd Uzir Mahidin said 3.4 million (10%) of the population were foreigners.

The data were based on a demographic statistical report on live births and deaths in the first quarter of 2024.

“Overall, the male population grew to 17.8 million from 17.4 million, while the female population rose to 16.1 million from 15.8 million.

“The gender ratio is 111 men to 100 women, while the gender ratio for the national (Malaysians) population is 103 men to 100 women,” he said in a statement.

The population of people aged 65 and above remained unchanged at 2.5 million.

Live births declined 9.4% decline this quarter to 106,386 newborns, more of them boys than girls.

Selangor recorded the most births and Labuan the least. Malays contributed 68.8% of live births, up from 67.6% in the previous year, while the birth rate dropped among Chinese and Indians.

The number of deaths dropped 1.5% from the previous year to 47,964. Most of the people who died were aged 60 and higher.

“Malays accounted for 51.4% of total deaths. Deaths among the Chinese community rose while the death rate for Indians remained steady,” he said. – May 15, 2024.