Population growth rate in Malaysia
Malaysia: Population growth rate was 1.2% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Population growth rate in Malaysia, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population growth rate in Malaysia is 1.2%, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 1.1% on the previous year and down 27.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population growth rate in Malaysia peaked at 3.3% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 1.1%, in 2020.
Malaysia ranks 98th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Population growth rate in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 2.6% | — |
| 1951 | 2.6% | +1.4% |
| 1952 | 2.6% | +1.2% |
| 1953 | 2.6% | +0.3% |
| 1954 | 2.7% | +2.8% |
| 1955 | 2.8% | +1.9% |
| 1956 | 2.8% | +2.1% |
| 1957 | 2.9% | +1.8% |
| 1958 | 2.5% | -12.7% |
| 1959 | 2.5% | +1.4% |
| 1960 | 2.6% | +1.2% |
| 1961 | 2.6% | +1.4% |
| 1962 | 2.6% | +0.5% |
| 1963 | 2.6% | -0.0% |
| 1964 | 2.6% | -1.4% |
| 1965 | 2.5% | -2.2% |
| 1966 | 2.5% | -2.5% |
| 1967 | 2.3% | -7.3% |
| 1968 | 2.3% | -0.9% |
| 1969 | 2.3% | +0.1% |
| 1970 | 2.3% | +3.2% |
| 1971 | 2.4% | +3.6% |
| 1972 | 2.4% | -1.2% |
| 1973 | 2.4% | +0.6% |
| 1974 | 2.4% | -0.4% |
| 1975 | 2.4% | -0.1% |
| 1976 | 2.4% | +0.6% |
| 1977 | 2.4% | -0.1% |
| 1978 | 2.4% | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 2.4% | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 3.1% | +30.6% |
| 1981 | 3.2% | +0.9% |
| 1982 | 3.2% | +1.2% |
| 1983 | 3.2% | +1.2% |
| 1984 | 3.3% | +1.0% |
| 1985 | 3.3% | +0.9% |
| 1986 | 3.3% | -1.4% |
| 1987 | 3.2% | -1.8% |
| 1988 | 3.1% | -3.1% |
| 1989 | 3.0% | -3.6% |
| 1990 | 2.9% | -2.4% |
| 1991 | 2.7% | -6.6% |
| 1992 | 2.6% | -5.3% |
| 1993 | 2.5% | -1.4% |
| 1994 | 2.5% | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 2.5% | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 2.5% | -1.1% |
| 1997 | 2.5% | -1.8% |
| 1998 | 2.4% | -0.8% |
| 1999 | 2.3% | -5.0% |
| 2000 | 2.4% | +1.7% |
| 2001 | 2.4% | +3.3% |
| 2002 | 2.4% | -1.9% |
| 2003 | 2.3% | -2.4% |
| 2004 | 2.3% | -2.2% |
| 2005 | 2.2% | -1.6% |
| 2006 | 2.2% | -2.0% |
| 2007 | 2.1% | -2.8% |
| 2008 | 2.0% | -4.4% |
| 2009 | 1.9% | -5.5% |
| 2010 | 1.8% | -6.7% |
| 2011 | 1.7% | -6.0% |
| 2012 | 1.7% | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 1.7% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 1.7% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 1.7% | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 1.8% | +2.2% |
| 2017 | 1.7% | -2.4% |
| 2018 | 1.7% | -4.7% |
| 2019 | 1.5% | -7.7% |
| 2020 | 1.1% | -25.8% |
| 2021 | 1.2% | +2.7% |
| 2022 | 1.2% | +5.1% |
| 2023 | 1.2% | +1.1% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 1.2% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.6%, 2.3× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 1.2% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.7%, 1.8× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Population growth rate in Malaysia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | +30.6% | 2.4% | 3.1% |
| 2020 | -25.8% | 1.5% | 1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2.7% | 2.5% | 2.9% | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.5% | 2.3% | 2.6% | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.4% | 2.3% | 2.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.2% | 3.0% | 3.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.6% | 2.3% | 2.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.2% | 1.9% | 2.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.7% | 1.5% | 1.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.2% | 1.1% | 1.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
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)
- World population growth -0.3% (2100)
- Population density 134 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 1.91 million people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population growth rate in Malaysia?
- Population growth rate in Malaysia was 1.2% in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest population growth rate recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 3.3% in 1985.
- What is the lowest population growth rate recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.1% in 2020.
- How does Malaysia rank for population growth rate?
- Malaysia ranks 98th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is population growth rate rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malaysia data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Population growth rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual rate at which the population is growing, expressed as a percentage.