Fertility vs unmet contraception in Malaysia

Malaysia: Fertility vs unmet contraception 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 vs unmet contraception in Malaysia, 1960–2024

23456196019922024

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2024, fertility vs unmet contraception in Malaysia stood at 1.54. That is the lowest value across all 65 years on record.

That represents a change of down 0.5% on the previous year and down 25.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, fertility vs unmet contraception in Malaysia peaked at 6.41 in 1960 and was at its lowest, 1.54, in 2024.

Malaysia ranks 144th of 215 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.

Fertility vs unmet contraception in Malaysia, year by year

Annual values for Fertility vs unmet contraception in Malaysia, 1960 to 2024.
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

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 142 United Kingdom 1.55 compare
  2. 143 Isle of Man 1.54 compare
  3. 145 Trinidad and Tobago 1.54 compare
  4. 146 Saint Kitts and Nevis 1.53 compare
  5. 147 Cayman Islands 1.52 compare

See the full ranking of 215 places →

More population data for Malaysia

All data for Malaysia →

Frequently asked questions

What is fertility vs unmet contraception in Malaysia?
Fertility vs unmet contraception in Malaysia was 1.54 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest fertility vs unmet contraception recorded in Malaysia?
The highest recorded value was 6.41 in 1960.
What is the lowest fertility vs unmet contraception recorded in Malaysia?
The lowest recorded value was 1.54 in 2024.
How does Malaysia rank for fertility vs unmet contraception?
Malaysia ranks 144th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
Is fertility vs unmet contraception 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 vs unmet contraception. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Fertility vs unmet contraception in Malaysia. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 11 November 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/fertility-vs-unmet-contraception/malaysia/

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About this data

Indicator
Fertility vs unmet contraception
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
215 places, 13,943 data points, 1960–2024
Last refreshed