Malaysia’s population grew to 34.4 million in the first quarter of 2026, a 0.5% increase from the 34.2 million recorded in the same period last year, according to Demographic Statistics released by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).

Citizens make up 31.0 million of that total, with 3.4 million non-citizens. The overall growth rate is steady but slow. Beneath it, births have declined for another consecutive first quarter, and the old-age dependency ratio continues to edge upward.

Births Fall Across All Three Months

A total of 94,807 live births were recorded in Q1 2026, down 3.1% from the 97,843 registered in the same period last year. That works out to a daily average of 1,053 births.

The decline spread across all three months. January saw a 0.5% year-on-year drop, March fell by 0.7%, and February recorded the sharpest monthly decline at 8.6%. The data doesn’t indicate a specific reason for February’s steeper fall.

Malay births made up the largest share at 69.5% of all citizen births, followed by Other Bumiputera at 12.6%, Chinese at 7.4%, and Indians at 3.8%. Non-citizen births accounted for a further 5.5% of the total.

Mothers Aged 40 And Above Account For More Births

Among all age groups of mothers, births fell year-on-year, with one exception. Mothers aged 40 and above recorded 6,098 births in Q1 2026, up 2.4% from 5,954 in the same period last year. Every other group declined: under 20 fell 4.9%, the 20 to 29 bracket dropped 4.8%, and the 30 to 39 group, the largest, declined 2.5% to 50,917 births.

Deaths Decline Across Every Age Group

Deaths fell to 49,139 in Q1 2026, a 1.5% drop from the 49,863 recorded a year earlier, with a daily average of 546. The decline was broad-based. The largest fall was among children aged 0 to 14, where deaths dropped 11.2% to 893.

The gap between births and deaths produced a natural population increase of around 45,668 during the quarter, with non-citizens adding another 3.4 million to bring the national total to 34.4 million.

Despite the decline in deaths overall, the old-age dependency ratio moved in the opposite direction. This ratio measures the number of people aged 65 and above for every 100 people of working age (15 to 64). It edged up from 11.3 in Q1 2025 to 11.4 in Q1 2026. The young-age dependency ratio, tracking children aged 0 to 14, fell from 31.0 to 30.7.

The overall dependency ratio dipped slightly from 42.2 to 42.1. Within it, the young-age component fell and the old-age component rose, meaning the working-age population is now supporting slightly more elderly dependants than a year ago.

Selangor Accounts For More Than One In Five Malaysians

At the state level, Selangor remains the most populated with around 7.44 million residents, representing 21.6% of the national count. Johor (12.3%) and Sabah (11.0%) are next in line.

Selangor recorded the highest number of live births at 17,990 and the highest number of deaths at 8,042. Wilayah Persekutuan Labuan recorded the fewest births at 294, while Wilayah Persekutuan Putrajaya had the fewest deaths at 81.

A Widening Gap Between Working-Age Earners And Elderly Dependants

As the elderly population grows relative to working-age Malaysians, the ratio of people generating income and EPF contributions to those drawing on savings, healthcare, and social support gradually tightens. For anyone currently in the workforce, that makes long-term retirement savings more relevant, not less. DOSM’s projections suggest Malaysia is on course to become an aged nation by 2048, a threshold defined by having at least 14% of the population aged 65 and above. As of Q1 2026, that figure stands at 2.8 million, or about 8.1% of the total.

If the declining birth rate continuess, the working-age population a generation from now will be proportionally smaller relative to the number of people it’s expected to support. The EPF’s own data already shows only around 39.5% of contributors are on track to meet even the basic savings target by age 60, a gap that becomes harder to close as fewer workers are spread across more dependants. DOSM’s statistics show that planning your financial future into retirement could not be more important.

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