Malaysia Population Pyramid 1990
Malaysia in 1990
In 1990, Malaysia had a total population of 17,833,171 people. That is 37.4% more than in 1980, when the population stood at 12,983,363.
Half of the population was younger than 21.5 years; 37.2% were children under 15 and 3.6% were 65 or older. This is an expansive pyramid — each cohort of children is larger than the one above it, the signature of high birth rates and rapid growth.
Data source: United Nations World Population Prospects, 2024 revision (medium variant) — last updated July 2024.
The fertility rate of Malaysia was 1.55 births per woman in 2023, under the 2.1 needed to replace each generation.
Source: World Bank World Development Indicators, latest available year.
Life expectancy at birth was 76.7 years in 2023: 79.4 for women and 74.3 for men.
Source: World Bank World Development Indicators, latest available year.
3,566,509 immigrants live in Malaysia, 10.0% of the population.
| Indonesia | 1,761,502 |
| Nepal | 502,596 |
| Myanmar | 308,095 |
| Bangladesh | 282,437 |
| Philippines | 255,520 |
2,433,805 people born in Malaysia live in other countries.
| Singapore | 1,553,249 |
| Bangladesh | 274,253 |
| Australia | 181,202 |
| Indonesia | 161,013 |
| United Kingdom | 66,932 |
Source: United Nations International Migrant Stock 2024.
| Country | Population | Median age | Relative size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malaysia | 17,833,171 | 21.5 | |
| Cambodia | 7,374,752 | 18.1 | |
| Laos | 4,311,955 | 17.9 | |
| Singapore | 3,039,591 | 29.5 | |
| Timor-Leste | 760,345 | 19.0 |





