KUALA LUMPUR, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia's total population was estimated at 34.4 million in the first quarter of 2026, up from 34.2 million a year earlier, a slower growth rate of 0.5 percent compared to 0.9 percent previously, official data showed on Thursday.
The composition of citizens and non-citizens remained unchanged at 90.1 percent and 9.9 percent, respectively, the Department of Statistics Malaysia said in a statement.
The male population increased to 18 million from 17.9 million, while the female population rose slightly to 16.3 million from 16.2 million over the same period.
In terms of age structure, the share of the young population (aged 0-14) edged down to 21.6 percent from 21.8 percent, while the working-age group (15-64 years) rose marginally to 70.4 percent from 70.3 percent.
By ethnicity, Malays accounted for 58.3 percent of the population, up slightly from 58.2 percent a year earlier. The proportion of other Bumiputera and Indians remained unchanged at 12.3 percent and 6.5 percent, respectively, while the Chinese population share slipped to 22.1 percent from 22.2 percent.
On vital statistics, live births fell 3.1 percent to 94,807 in the first quarter of 2026, while deaths declined 1.5 percent to 49,139. ■
