Annual population growth in Malaysia

Malaysia: Annual population growth was 430,801 in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
430,801
Change on year
up 4.3%
World rank
45th
of 236 countries
All-time high
581,834
in 2006
All-time low
159,130
in 1951
Years of data
73
1951–2023

Annual population growth in Malaysia, 1951–2023

200.0k300.0k400.0k500.0k600.0k195119872023

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2023, annual population growth in Malaysia stood at 430,801.

That represents a change of up 4.3% on the previous year and down 15.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, annual population growth in Malaysia peaked at 581,834 in 2006 and was at its lowest, 159,130, in 1951.

That places Malaysia 45th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 73 years of available data.

Annual population growth in Malaysia, year by year

Annual values for Annual population growth in Malaysia, 1951 to 2023.
Year Value Change
1951 159,130 —
1952 165,436 +4.0%
1953 171,094 +3.4%
1954 178,429 +4.3%
1955 187,585 +5.1%
1956 196,668 +4.8%
1957 206,191 +4.8%
1958 200,068 -3.0%
1959 192,893 -3.6%
1960 200,422 +3.9%
1961 208,247 +3.9%
1962 215,726 +3.6%
1963 221,992 +2.9%
1964 226,250 +1.9%
1965 227,999 +0.8%
1966 228,278 +0.1%
1967 222,414 -2.6%
1968 218,176 -1.9%
1969 222,321 +1.9%
1970 231,198 +4.0%
1971 244,664 +5.8%
1972 253,373 +3.6%
1973 258,783 +2.1%
1974 265,281 +2.5%
1975 271,011 +2.2%
1976 278,179 +2.6%
1977 285,623 +2.7%
1978 292,442 +2.4%
1979 299,708 +2.5%
1980 355,499 +18.6%
1981 415,841 +17.0%
1982 433,590 +4.3%
1983 453,118 +4.5%
1984 473,099 +4.4%
1985 493,249 +4.3%
1986 508,163 +3.0%
1987 516,310 +1.6%
1988 519,877 +0.7%
1989 518,391 -0.3%
1990 518,176 -0.0%
1991 509,295 -1.7%
1992 492,095 -3.4%
1993 488,098 -0.8%
1994 497,779 +2.0%
1995 510,156 +2.5%
1996 519,483 +1.8%
1997 525,140 +1.1%
1998 531,488 +1.2%
1999 528,819 -0.5%
2000 532,285 +0.7%
2001 558,718 +5.0%
2002 575,942 +3.1%
2003 577,127 +0.2%
2004 577,169 +0.0%
2005 579,302 +0.4%
2006 581,834 +0.4%
2007 580,474 -0.2%
2008 571,669 -1.5%
2009 554,727 -3.0%
2010 530,993 -4.3%
2011 506,262 -4.7%
2012 500,801 -1.1%
2013 511,434 +2.1%
2014 521,864 +2.0%
2015 536,663 +2.8%
2016 556,896 +3.8%
2017 565,950 +1.6%
2018 555,321 -1.9%
2019 529,627 -4.6%
2020 448,964 -15.2%
2021 392,850 -12.5%
2022 413,090 +5.2%
2023 430,801 +4.3%

Malaysia compared with similar countries

  • Malaysia's 430,801 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 28,200, 15.3× the median. (58 countries reporting)
  • Malaysia's 430,801 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3,585, 120.2× the median. (37 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 184,166 159,130 206,191 9
1960s 219,182 200,422 228,278 10
1970s 268,026 231,198 299,708 10
1980s 468,714 355,499 519,877 10
1990s 512,053 488,098 531,488 10
2000s 568,925 532,285 581,834 10
2010s 531,581 500,801 565,950 10
2020s 421,426 392,850 448,964 4

Countries ranked near Malaysia

  1. 42 Canada 477,839 compare
  2. 43 South Sudan 462,195 compare
  3. 44 Germany 462,006 compare
  4. 46 Senegal 426,474 compare
  5. 47 United Arab Emirates 400,004 compare
  6. 48 Morocco 383,448 compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More population data for Malaysia

All data for Malaysia →

Frequently asked questions

What is annual population growth in Malaysia?
Annual population growth in Malaysia was 430,801 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest annual population growth recorded in Malaysia?
The highest recorded value was 581,834 in 2006.
What is the lowest annual population growth recorded in Malaysia?
The lowest recorded value was 159,130 in 1951.
How does Malaysia rank for annual population growth?
Malaysia ranks 45th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is annual population growth rising or falling in Malaysia?
Over the last ten years it is down 15.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Malaysia data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Annual population growth. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 73 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Annual population growth in Malaysia. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 11 November 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/annual-population-growth/malaysia/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://population.statizoid.com/stat/annual-population-growth/malaysia/">Annual population growth in Malaysia</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Annual population growth
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 17,228 data points, 1951–2023
Last refreshed