According to data released by the Department of Statistics Malaysia for 2024, the country’s total population has reached 34.1 million, marking a 1.9% increase compared to the previous year.
Of this total, the number of Malaysian citizens rose from 30.4 million to 30.7 million, an increase of 0.7%.
In contrast, the non-citizen population saw a much sharper rise, growing by 13.6%.
Changes in Ethnic Composition: Bumiputera Proportion Rises, Chinese and Indian Decline Slightly
The Bumiputera (indigenous Malays) remain the largest ethnic group, accounting for 70.4% of the total population—an increase from 70.1% the previous year.
The proportion of ethnic Chinese dropped slightly from 22.6% to 22.4%, while the Indian population decreased from 6.6% to 6.5%.
Other ethnic groups remained stable at 0.7%.
Population Distribution by State: Selangor Leads, Labuan and Putrajaya the Smallest
Selangor holds the highest share of the population at 21.6%.
Johor follows with 12.3%.
Sabah ranks third with 11%.
The lowest population shares were recorded in Labuan (0.3%) and Putrajaya (0.4%).
Shifting Age Structure: Increase in Working-Age Population, Signs of Aging
The population aged 0–14 years declined slightly from 22.7% to 22.2%.
The working-age population (15–64 years) rose from 69.9% to 70.1%.
Those aged 65 and above increased from 7.4% to 7.7%, indicating a gradual trend toward aging.
