PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia’s population in the first quarter of 2020 is estimated at 32.73 million – an increase of 0.6 per cent from the corresponding period last year, according to the Department of Statistics.
Chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the population comprises 29.62 million (or 90.5 per cent) Malaysian citizens and 3.12 million (or 9.5 per cent) non-citizens.
More males than females
He said the male population rose from 16.81 million in the first quarter of last year to 16.90 million this year, while the female population growth is higher, up from 15.72 million to 15.84 million over the same period.
“The sex ratio remains at 107 males per 100 females,” he said in a statement today.
According to Mohd Uzir, Selangor remains the most populous state with 6.57 million people, while Labuan has the smallest population of 99,600 individuals.
Fewer youth, more senior citizens
The number of Malaysians aged 0-14 fell to 7.53 million from 7.63 million, while the working-age population (15-64 years) grew to 22.95 million from 22.74 million.
The older population (65 and above) rose from 2.16 million to 2.26 million in the first quarter of this year. This is in line with ageing population trends in developed countries, he said.
Births and deaths
Mohd Uzir said 115,439 births were recorded during the first quarter of this year, a decline of 1.6 per cent compared to the same period in 2019 (117,146 births).
A total of 43,226 deaths were recorded in the first quarter of this year, he said.
-BERNAMA