Fertility and wanted fertility in Malaysia
Malaysia: Fertility and wanted fertility was 1.54 in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
1.54
Change on year
down 0.5%
World rank
144th
of 215 countries
All-time high
6.41
in 1960
All-time low
1.54
in 2024
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Fertility and wanted fertility in Malaysia, 1960–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2024, fertility and wanted fertility in Malaysia stood at 1.54. That is the lowest value across all 65 years on record.
The figure is down 0.5% on the previous year and down 25.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility and wanted fertility in Malaysia peaked at 6.41 in 1960 and was at its lowest, 1.54, in 2024.
That places Malaysia 144th out of 215 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Fertility and wanted fertility in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 6.41 | — |
| 1961 | 6.37 | -0.7% |
| 1962 | 6.3 | -1.1% |
| 1963 | 6.19 | -1.7% |
| 1964 | 6.03 | -2.6% |
| 1965 | 5.84 | -3.2% |
| 1966 | 5.63 | -3.4% |
| 1967 | 5.43 | -3.6% |
| 1968 | 5.29 | -2.6% |
| 1969 | 5.16 | -2.5% |
| 1970 | 5.04 | -2.4% |
| 1971 | 4.92 | -2.2% |
| 1972 | 4.82 | -2.1% |
| 1973 | 4.73 | -2.0% |
| 1974 | 4.62 | -2.3% |
| 1975 | 4.5 | -2.6% |
| 1976 | 4.4 | -2.3% |
| 1977 | 4.28 | -2.6% |
| 1978 | 4.18 | -2.4% |
| 1979 | 4.09 | -2.1% |
| 1980 | 4.04 | -1.4% |
| 1981 | 4 | -0.8% |
| 1982 | 3.97 | -0.9% |
| 1983 | 3.93 | -1.0% |
| 1984 | 3.88 | -1.1% |
| 1985 | 3.8 | -2.1% |
| 1986 | 3.7 | -2.8% |
| 1987 | 3.56 | -3.6% |
| 1988 | 3.5 | -1.8% |
| 1989 | 3.31 | -5.4% |
| 1990 | 3.3 | -0.3% |
| 1991 | 3.34 | +1.1% |
| 1992 | 3.37 | +1.0% |
| 1993 | 3.36 | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 3.35 | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 3.32 | -0.9% |
| 1996 | 3.3 | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 3.23 | -2.1% |
| 1998 | 3.12 | -3.3% |
| 1999 | 3.07 | -1.7% |
| 2000 | 2.94 | -4.1% |
| 2001 | 2.81 | -4.6% |
| 2002 | 2.66 | -5.3% |
| 2003 | 2.6 | -2.1% |
| 2004 | 2.49 | -4.2% |
| 2005 | 2.39 | -4.1% |
| 2006 | 2.31 | -3.5% |
| 2007 | 2.25 | -2.4% |
| 2008 | 2.26 | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 2.22 | -1.7% |
| 2010 | 2.14 | -3.6% |
| 2011 | 2.15 | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 2.12 | -1.7% |
| 2013 | 2.07 | -2.2% |
| 2014 | 2.06 | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 2.01 | -2.4% |
| 2016 | 1.94 | -3.3% |
| 2017 | 1.89 | -2.5% |
| 2018 | 1.84 | -2.9% |
| 2019 | 1.78 | -3.3% |
| 2020 | 1.68 | -5.5% |
| 2021 | 1.55 | -7.4% |
| 2022 | 1.55 | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 1.55 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 1.54 | -0.5% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 1.54 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.8, 86% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 1.54 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2.12, 73% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5.87 | 5.16 | 6.41 | 10 |
| 1970s | 4.56 | 4.09 | 5.04 | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.77 | 3.31 | 4.04 | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.28 | 3.07 | 3.37 | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.49 | 2.22 | 2.94 | 10 |
| 2010s | 2 | 1.78 | 2.15 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.58 | 1.54 | 1.68 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
- 142 United Kingdom 1.55 compare
- 143 Isle of Man 1.54 compare
- 145 Trinidad and Tobago 1.54 compare
- 146 Saint Kitts and Nevis 1.53 compare
- 147 Cayman Islands 1.52 compare
More population data for Malaysia
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.2671 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -5.88 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.2671 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.2686 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 41,032 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.8625 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.1472 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate -0.278 (2100)
- Population density 134 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 1.91 million (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility and wanted fertility in Malaysia?
- Fertility and wanted fertility in Malaysia was 1.54 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fertility and wanted fertility recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 6.41 in 1960.
- What is the lowest fertility and wanted fertility recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.54 in 2024.
- How does Malaysia rank for fertility and wanted fertility?
- Malaysia ranks 144th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is fertility and wanted fertility rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malaysia data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Fertility and wanted fertility. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).