Population, total in Malaysia
Malaysia: Population, total was 35.98 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
35.98 million
Change on year
up 1.2%
World rank
45th
of 218 countries
All-time high
35.98 million
in 2025
All-time low
7.96 million
in 1960
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Population, total in Malaysia, 1960–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
Malaysia recorded 35.98 million for population, total in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.2% on the previous year and up 15.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population, total in Malaysia peaked at 35.98 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 7.96 million, in 1960.
That places Malaysia 45th out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Population, total in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 7.96 million | — |
| 1961 | 8.16 million | +2.6% |
| 1962 | 8.38 million | +2.6% |
| 1963 | 8.60 million | +2.6% |
| 1964 | 8.83 million | +2.6% |
| 1965 | 9.06 million | +2.6% |
| 1966 | 9.28 million | +2.5% |
| 1967 | 9.51 million | +2.4% |
| 1968 | 9.73 million | +2.3% |
| 1969 | 9.95 million | +2.3% |
| 1970 | 10.18 million | +2.3% |
| 1971 | 10.42 million | +2.4% |
| 1972 | 10.68 million | +2.4% |
| 1973 | 10.94 million | +2.4% |
| 1974 | 11.20 million | +2.4% |
| 1975 | 11.47 million | +2.4% |
| 1976 | 11.75 million | +2.4% |
| 1977 | 12.04 million | +2.4% |
| 1978 | 12.33 million | +2.4% |
| 1979 | 12.63 million | +2.4% |
| 1980 | 12.98 million | +2.8% |
| 1981 | 13.40 million | +3.2% |
| 1982 | 13.83 million | +3.2% |
| 1983 | 14.29 million | +3.3% |
| 1984 | 14.76 million | +3.3% |
| 1985 | 15.25 million | +3.3% |
| 1986 | 15.76 million | +3.3% |
| 1987 | 16.28 million | +3.3% |
| 1988 | 16.80 million | +3.2% |
| 1989 | 17.32 million | +3.1% |
| 1990 | 17.83 million | +3.0% |
| 1991 | 18.34 million | +2.9% |
| 1992 | 18.83 million | +2.7% |
| 1993 | 19.32 million | +2.6% |
| 1994 | 19.82 million | +2.6% |
| 1995 | 20.33 million | +2.6% |
| 1996 | 20.85 million | +2.6% |
| 1997 | 21.38 million | +2.5% |
| 1998 | 21.91 million | +2.5% |
| 1999 | 22.44 million | +2.4% |
| 2000 | 22.97 million | +2.4% |
| 2001 | 23.53 million | +2.4% |
| 2002 | 24.10 million | +2.4% |
| 2003 | 24.68 million | +2.4% |
| 2004 | 25.26 million | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 25.84 million | +2.3% |
| 2006 | 26.42 million | +2.3% |
| 2007 | 27.00 million | +2.2% |
| 2008 | 27.57 million | +2.1% |
| 2009 | 28.12 million | +2.0% |
| 2010 | 28.66 million | +1.9% |
| 2011 | 29.16 million | +1.8% |
| 2012 | 29.66 million | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 30.17 million | +1.7% |
| 2014 | 30.70 million | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 31.23 million | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 31.79 million | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 32.36 million | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 32.91 million | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 33.44 million | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 33.89 million | +1.3% |
| 2021 | 34.28 million | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 34.70 million | +1.2% |
| 2023 | 35.13 million | +1.2% |
| 2024 | 35.56 million | +1.2% |
| 2025 | 35.98 million | +1.2% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 35.98 million is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 6.55 million, 5.5× the median. (59 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 35.98 million is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.42 million, 25.4× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 8.95 million | 7.96 million | 9.95 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 11.36 million | 10.18 million | 12.63 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 15.07 million | 12.98 million | 17.32 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 20.11 million | 17.83 million | 22.44 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 25.55 million | 22.97 million | 28.12 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 31.01 million | 28.66 million | 33.44 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 34.92 million | 33.89 million | 35.98 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
- 42 Uzbekistan 37.05 million compare
- 43 Saudi Arabia 36.97 million compare
- 44 Poland 36.44 million compare
- 46 Mozambique 35.63 million compare
- 47 Ghana 35.06 million compare
- 48 Peru 34.58 million compare
More climate change data for Malaysia
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 621.79 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 4,551 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 1,936 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2,616 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 7.31 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 93.41 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 7,214 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 3,641 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 3,573 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 13.74 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population, total in Malaysia?
- Population, total in Malaysia was 35.98 million in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population, total recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 35.98 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest population, total recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.96 million in 1960.
- How does Malaysia rank for population, total?
- Malaysia ranks 45th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population, total rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malaysia data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Population, total. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Total population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship. The values shown are midyear estimates.