PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s population is estimated to have reached 34.4 million in 2026, up slightly from 34.2 million last year, with 11 states and Kuala Lumpur categorised as having ageing populations.
The statistics department said Malaysia’s total population, including non-citizens, grew by 0.5%.
The number of citizens, who make up 90.1% of the total, rose from 30.8 million in 2025 to 31 million this year.
“The non-citizen population continued to decline, recording a negative growth rate of 0.2% in 2026 after contracting by 0.5% the previous year,” it said in a statement.
Among citizens, Bumiputeras accounted for 70.7% of the population, followed by the Chinese (22.0%), Indians (6.5%) and others (0.8%).
Total male population increased to 18 million from 17.9 million, and the female population rose to 16.4 million from 16.3 million. The overall sex ratio remains unchanged at 110 males for every 100 females.
Perlis and Putrajaya were the only states where females outnumbered males, while Kuala Lumpur recorded the highest ratio at 117 males for every 100 females.
At the state level, Terengganu recorded the fastest population growth rate at 1.2%, followed by Kelantan (1%), while Selangor, Pahang and Putrajaya each registered growth of 0.6%, which is above or in line with the national average.
Selangor remained Malaysia’s most populous state, accounting for 21.7% of the country’s population, followed by Johor (12.3%) and Sabah (11.0%). Labuan and Putrajaya recorded the smallest population shares at 0.3% and 0.4%, respectively.
The department also said 12 states have now reached ageing state status, with Perak continuing to have the highest proportion of residents aged 65 and above at 10.8%.
“A state is classified as an ageing state when the composition of its population aged 65 years and over exceeds 7% of its total population,” it said.
Perak was followed by Sarawak and Kedah (9.7%), Penang and Perlis (8.8%), Selangor (8.7%), Negeri Sembilan (8.6%), Johor (8.1%), Kelantan (7.8%), Melaka (7.6%), Pahang (7.5%) and the federal territory of Kuala Lumpur (7.4%)
Nationally, the proportion of children aged below 15 fell from 21.6% in 2025 to 21.2% this year, while those aged 65 and above increased from 8% to 8.4%.
The working-age population, aged between 15 and 64, remains unchanged at 70.4%.
The department said Putrajaya had the highest proportion of children aged 0 to 14 years at 31.4%, while Kuala Lumpur recorded the largest share of working-age residents at 76%.
