Malaysia Population Pyramid 1998
Malaysia in 1998
In 1998, Malaysia had a total population of 21,906,712 people. A decade earlier, in 1988, the population was 16,796,604; it has grown by 30.4% since.
Half of the population was younger than 23.1 years; 35.0% were children under 15 and 3.8% 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 | 21,906,713 | 23.1 | |
| Cambodia | 12,058,173 | 17.4 | |
| Laos | 5,248,266 | 18.0 | |
| Singapore | 3,901,418 | 31.6 | |
| Timor-Leste | 942,531 | 18.7 |





