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Malaysia

Population

36,509,189

Estimated as of Oct 22, 2026View source
Population rank
45th
Share of world
0.44%
Annual change
+407,2771.20%

Population of Malaysia

20M40M60M80M100M120M95% prediction intervalProjected peak202636.5M2050 projection44.3M↑ 21% from 202619601980200020202040206020802100

Source: United Nations — World Population Prospects (2024 Revision)

Current population estimate: 36,509,189. 2050 projection: 44,289,772.Use the arrow keys on the chart to inspect individual years.

Historical population estimates for Malaysia. Annual change is shown as a percentage.
202636,385,1151.20%45
202535,977,8381.20%44
202033,889,5581.34%42
201933,440,5961.61%42
201832,910,9671.72%42
201732,355,6441.78%42
201531,232,7981.74%41
201028,655,7762.09%42
200525,836,0712.38%44
200022,967,8162.47%45

Showing 10 of 19 years.

Population by City

Petaling is home to 2,389,126 people, 6.57% of Malaysia's population.

City population2M1M400K
Petaling 2.4MKuala Lumpur 2.1MJohor Bahru 1.8MKinta 940.7KCentral Malacca 648.0KKuching 633.7K
Largest cities by 2026 population and share of the national population.
1Petaling2.4M6.57%
2Kuala Lumpur2.1M5.80%
3Johor Bahru1.8M5.08%
4Ulu Langat1.6M4.31%
5Klang1.2M3.36%
6Gombak999.7K2.75%
7Kinta940.7K2.59%
8Seremban723.0K1.99%
9Central Malacca648.0K1.78%
10Kuching633.7K1.74%

Malaysia by the Numbers

Estimated as of Oct 22, 2026

Population
Malaysia is home to an estimated 36,509,189 people, the 45th largest population in the world.
Daily change
Malaysia has a net population change of approximately 1,098 people per day, driven by 1,206 births, 543 deaths, and net immigration of 435 people.
Share of world
Malaysia makes up 0.44% of the world's population and 0.73% of Asia's.
Density
110.7 people per km² of land (286.8 per mi²), ranking 107th among countries and territories.
Urban living
77.39% of people live in urban areas.

Malaysia Demographics

Age & longevity

MaleFemale100+ years, male: 683100+ years, female: 1,63595–99 years, male: 4,50895–99 years, female: 8,53890–94 years, male: 19,80990–94 years, female: 30,16485–89 years, male: 59,31085–89 years, female: 77,68480–84 years, male: 123,69780–84 years, female: 147,52475–79 years, male: 256,03275–79 years, female: 285,96070–74 years, male: 416,11470–74 years, female: 442,79165–69 years, male: 574,26865–69 years, female: 584,18260–64 years, male: 717,31360–64 years, female: 713,81955–59 years, male: 832,60155–59 years, female: 809,89650–54 years, male: 1,011,98750–54 years, female: 936,35745–49 years, male: 1,289,87445–49 years, female: 1,116,77540–44 years, male: 1,572,95540–44 years, female: 1,352,48935–39 years, male: 1,703,94135–39 years, female: 1,435,43230–34 years, male: 1,735,44930–34 years, female: 1,437,33825–29 years, male: 1,702,66625–29 years, female: 1,482,52620–24 years, male: 1,639,19320–24 years, female: 1,488,22215–19 years, male: 1,447,81915–19 years, female: 1,339,70810–14 years, male: 1,476,64410–14 years, female: 1,371,8505–9 years, male: 1,291,3045–9 years, female: 1,231,5310–4 years, male: 1,141,2690–4 years, female: 1,073,262100+95–9990–9485–8980–8475–7970–7465–6960–6455–5950–5445–4940–4435–3930–3425–2920–2415–1910–145–90–4500K500K1M1M1.5M1.5M

Hover or tap an age group to see exact counts. Use the up and down arrow keys to inspect age groups.

Median age

32.4 yrs

World: 31

Life expectancy

77.2 yrs

World: 73.8

Male

52.27%

Female

47.73%

Life expectancy 74.8Life expectancy 79.8

Ethnicity

62.5%

Bumiputera

  • Bumiputera62.5%
  • Chinese20.6%
  • non-citizens9.8%
  • Indian6.2%
  • Other0.9%
Data notes

Source estimate: 2019 est.

Bumiputera: Malays and indigenous peoples, including Orang Asli, Dayak, Anak Negeri

Religion

63.5%

Muslim (official), the largest religion

  • Muslim (official)63.5%
  • Buddhist18.7%
  • Christian9.1%
  • Hindu6.1%
  • Other1%
  • Other (Confucianism, Taoism, Other traditional Chinese religions)0.9%
  • None/Unspecified0.8%
Data notes

Source estimate: 2020 est.

Related Pages

Sources

  1. World Population Prospects (2024 Revision) - United Nations population estimates and projections.
  2. World Population Prospects (2024 Revision) - Malaysia United Nations Graphs/Profiles
  3. World Bank / UN World Urbanization Prospects - 2025: Urban population (% of total population), using national definitions.
  4. MyGOV Malaysia
  5. Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM)