Total population in Malaysia
Malaysia: Total population was 35,771 thousands in 2025. β² Rising
Total population in Malaysia, 1970β2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in thousands.
Analysis
In 2025, total population in Malaysia stood at 35,771 thousands. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.2% on the previous year and up 15.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total population in Malaysia peaked at 35,771 thousands in 2025 and was at its lowest, 10,060 thousands, in 1970.
Malaysia ranks 43rd of 230 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 11,227 thousands | 10,060 thousands | 12,476 thousands | 10 |
| 1980s | 14,826 thousands | 12,780 thousands | 17,057 thousands | 10 |
| 1990s | 19,849 thousands | 17,573 thousands | 22,175 thousands | 10 |
| 2000s | 25,263 thousands | 22,696 thousands | 27,852 thousands | 10 |
| 2010s | 30,743 thousands | 28,397 thousands | 33,184 thousands | 10 |
| 2020s | 34,714 thousands | 33,697 thousands | 35,771 thousands | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More population data for Malaysia
- Population growth rate by level of development -0.278 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 1.91 million (2100)
- Population density 134 (2100)
- Population growth rate -0.278 (2100)
- Fertility and wanted fertility 1.54 (2024)
- Refugee population by country or territory of asylum 138,417 (2024)
- Fertility vs unmet contraception 1.54 (2024)
- Fertility vs contraception 1.54 (2024)
- Natural population growth 0.7254 (2023)
- Fertility rate with projections 1.55 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is total population in Malaysia?
- Total population in Malaysia was 35,771 thousands in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest total population recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 35,771 thousands in 2025.
- What is the lowest total population recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 10,060 thousands in 1970.
- How does Malaysia rank for total population?
- Malaysia ranks 43rd out of 230 countries with data for 2025.
- Is total population rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malaysia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Total population (thousands). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV Β· JSON β 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release