Malaysia: Malaysia People Profile

Malaysia is a federal state that has a monarchy system of governance. It is comprised of 13 large states and 3 different federal territories. Its area is about 329,847 square kilometers. The Malaysian land is divided into two parts, namely Malaysian Borneo and Peninsular Malaysia, between which the South China Sea flows.

Malaysia borders Brunei, Thailand, and Indonesia. Its sea borders Singapore, Vietnam and the Philippines. Kuala Lumpur is the capital of Malaysia.

The total population in Malaysia was last recorded at 30.4 million people in 2014 from 8.2 million in 1960, changing 271 percent during the last 50 years. Population in Malaysia averaged 17.83 Million from 1960 until 2014, reaching an all time high of 30.40 Million in 2014 and a record low of 8.20 Million in 1960. Population in Malaysia is reported by the Department of Statistics Malaysia.

Of this number, 50.7% (or 15,345,555) is the male population, and the remaining 49.3% (which is 14,921,811) is female population. Last year, the number of births taking place in Malaysia is 330,910 while deaths are recorded at 77,390.

Malaysia Population History

During the 1960s Malaysian population was recorded to be 8.16 million, which gradually increased to 10.91 million in 1970. In 1980 the Malaysian population increased to 13.83 million, after which a drastic rise took place and the population reached 20.21 million in 1994. Finally, the population rate was 28.86 million in the year 2011.

Malaysia Life Expectancy

Life expectancy in Malaysia showed a dramatic increase in the years from 1960 to 2011 as it grew from an average of 59.42 years to 74.26 years respectively.

The life expectancy in Malaysia was 59.42 years in 1960, reached 63.94 years in 1970, then 67.40 years in 1980, and finally reached 70.06 years in 1990. In 2000 the statistics showed the average life expectancy to be 72.14 years, and now in 2013 it has reached 74.04 years with male life expectancy at 71.28 years and female life expectancy at 76.99 years.

Demographics

The population of Malaysia was 28,334,135 according to the 2010 census. This made Malaysia the 42nd most populated country in the world. Malaysia consists of people of different cultures and religions. Only 50.4 percent of the population is Malay, and the rest is Bumiputera, Muslim, etc., including majorities and minorities.

Malaysian nationality is only given to a child whose parents are both Malaysian. Dual nationality in Malaysia is not allowed.

The infant mortality rate in 2009 was 6 deaths per 1000, and life expectancy at birth in 2009 was 75 years in Malaysia. Five percent of the government social sector development budget is spent on health care to develop Malaysia into a medical tourism destination. Peninsular Malaysia has an urban population of 70%. This area consists of 28 million Malaysians, and the population is mostly concentrated here. Kuala Lampur is the capital and is also the center of financial and commercial activities. A city named Putrajaya was constructed in Malaysia to normalize the growing population in Kuala Lumpur and is now the seat of government.

Malaysia is estimated to have over 3 million migrant workers because of a rise in labor-intensive industries. It is estimated by the Sabah-based NGOs that out of those 3 million migrant workers, 2 million are illegal migrants.

Refugees and asylum seekers are also found to be living in Malaysia, so Malaysian officials are working on enforcing its immigration law.

Malaysia Population Projections

The annual growth of Malaysia is statistically estimated to be 1.6%. As we see in the population growth statistics, Malaysia’s growth rate gets lower each year. From being 2% in 2000, it went down to 1.8 % in 2005, and then declined to 1.72% in 2009. It dropped to 1.61% in 2010 and finally to 1.54% in the year 2012. This statistical analysis shows that Malaysia needs to improve on a lot in order to raise its population growth rate. There is a need to increase the birth ratio over the death ratio. Some other measures taken by the government, such as health and social services, can help to increase the population growth rate.

It is expected there will be an increase in the population growth of Malaysia with significant changes in the ethnic composition of the population in the next 40 years. The number of Malays will continue to rise as it did from 56.6 percent in 1980 to 60.1 percent in the year 2000. It will finally rise to about 64.4 percent in the year 2020.