Malaysia Population

Malaysia's fertility has fallen toward the replacement level, slowing growth and beginning a gradual ageing process in one of Southeast Asia's more developed economies. Its demographics are shaped by a multi-ethnic society whose communities have historically had different birth rates. The country is approaching the end of its demographic dividend even as it works to reach high-income status.

With roughly 36.2 million people as of 2026, Malaysia ranks 44th in the world by population. A country of South-Eastern Asia, its trajectory to 2100 is governed by how births, deaths and migration play out. It packs in roughly 111 people per square kilometre.

Growth continues for Malaysia until around 2073, the year its population is set to crest at about 46.4 million. From there a slow fall takes it to roughly 44.1 million by century's end.

Fertility sits at about 1.54 births per woman, below the replacement level of roughly 2.1, so without migration the population would eventually shrink. Net inward migration adds to the population each year and partly offsets the low birth rate.

The median age is set to climb from about 31 today to roughly 47 by 2100, while life expectancy, near 77 years, keeps rising. An older population gradually reshapes the labour force, pension systems and healthcare demand.

All of this is a projection, not a prediction. The further out it runs the wider the plausible range becomes, which is why Malaysia's charts show a low-to-high band around the central line.