Population growth rates in Malaysia
Malaysia: Population growth rates was 1.24 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
1.24
Change on year
up 1.1%
World rank
98th
of 236 countries
All-time high
3.3
in 1985
All-time low
1.14
in 2020
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Population growth rates in Malaysia, 1950–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population growth rates in Malaysia is 1.24, 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 rates in Malaysia peaked at 3.3 in 1985 and was at its lowest, 1.14, 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 rates in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 2.56 | — |
| 1951 | 2.59 | +1.4% |
| 1952 | 2.62 | +1.2% |
| 1953 | 2.63 | +0.3% |
| 1954 | 2.71 | +2.8% |
| 1955 | 2.76 | +1.9% |
| 1956 | 2.81 | +2.1% |
| 1957 | 2.87 | +1.8% |
| 1958 | 2.5 | -12.7% |
| 1959 | 2.54 | +1.4% |
| 1960 | 2.57 | +1.2% |
| 1961 | 2.6 | +1.4% |
| 1962 | 2.62 | +0.5% |
| 1963 | 2.61 | -0.0% |
| 1964 | 2.58 | -1.4% |
| 1965 | 2.52 | -2.2% |
| 1966 | 2.46 | -2.5% |
| 1967 | 2.28 | -7.3% |
| 1968 | 2.26 | -0.9% |
| 1969 | 2.26 | +0.1% |
| 1970 | 2.33 | +3.2% |
| 1971 | 2.42 | +3.6% |
| 1972 | 2.39 | -1.2% |
| 1973 | 2.4 | +0.6% |
| 1974 | 2.39 | -0.4% |
| 1975 | 2.39 | -0.1% |
| 1976 | 2.4 | +0.6% |
| 1977 | 2.4 | -0.1% |
| 1978 | 2.4 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 2.4 | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 3.14 | +30.6% |
| 1981 | 3.17 | +0.9% |
| 1982 | 3.2 | +1.2% |
| 1983 | 3.24 | +1.2% |
| 1984 | 3.27 | +1.0% |
| 1985 | 3.3 | +0.9% |
| 1986 | 3.25 | -1.4% |
| 1987 | 3.19 | -1.8% |
| 1988 | 3.1 | -3.1% |
| 1989 | 2.98 | -3.6% |
| 1990 | 2.91 | -2.4% |
| 1991 | 2.72 | -6.6% |
| 1992 | 2.58 | -5.3% |
| 1993 | 2.54 | -1.4% |
| 1994 | 2.55 | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 2.54 | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 2.51 | -1.1% |
| 1997 | 2.47 | -1.8% |
| 1998 | 2.45 | -0.8% |
| 1999 | 2.33 | -5.0% |
| 2000 | 2.36 | +1.7% |
| 2001 | 2.44 | +3.3% |
| 2002 | 2.4 | -1.9% |
| 2003 | 2.34 | -2.4% |
| 2004 | 2.29 | -2.2% |
| 2005 | 2.25 | -1.6% |
| 2006 | 2.21 | -2.0% |
| 2007 | 2.14 | -2.8% |
| 2008 | 2.05 | -4.4% |
| 2009 | 1.94 | -5.5% |
| 2010 | 1.81 | -6.7% |
| 2011 | 1.7 | -6.0% |
| 2012 | 1.71 | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 1.71 | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 1.72 | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 1.75 | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 1.79 | +2.2% |
| 2017 | 1.74 | -2.4% |
| 2018 | 1.66 | -4.7% |
| 2019 | 1.53 | -7.7% |
| 2020 | 1.14 | -25.8% |
| 2021 | 1.17 | +2.7% |
| 2022 | 1.23 | +5.1% |
| 2023 | 1.24 | +1.1% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 1.24 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.5505, 2.3× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 1.24 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.69, 1.8× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Population growth rates 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 | 3.14 |
| 2020 | -25.8% | 1.53 | 1.14 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2.66 | 2.5 | 2.87 | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.48 | 2.26 | 2.62 | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.39 | 2.33 | 2.42 | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.19 | 2.98 | 3.3 | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.56 | 2.33 | 2.91 | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.24 | 1.94 | 2.44 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.71 | 1.53 | 1.81 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.19 | 1.14 | 1.24 | 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)
- Population growth rate -0.278 (2100)
- Population density 134 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 1.91 million (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population growth rates in Malaysia?
- Population growth rates in Malaysia was 1.24 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest population growth rates recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 3.3 in 1985.
- What is the lowest population growth rates recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.14 in 2020.
- How does Malaysia rank for population growth rates?
- Malaysia ranks 98th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is population growth rates 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Population growth rates. 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).