Fewer babies, later marriages: Malaysia's birth rate continues to decline

SHAH ALAM – Malaysia's birth rate continues to decline, with the latest population estimates for 2023 showing a decrease in the number of children under 18 years of age.

According to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), the estimated number of children under 18 in 2023 is 9.13 million, constituting 27.4 per cent of Malaysia's total population of 33.38 million.

This marks a decline from 9.19 million children under 18, which made up 28.1 per cent of the total population of 32.7 million in 2022.

The report also detailed the gender distribution among children under 18.

In 2023, there were 4.72 million boys and 4.42 million girls, compared to 4.74 million boys and 4.44 million girls in 2022.

Children under 5 years of age numbered 2.35 million in 2023, with 1.21 million boys and 1.14 million girls.

In 2022, this age group totalled 2.37 million, with 1.21 million boys and 1.16 million girls.

Regional Distribution of Child Population

The distribution of children under 18 varies significantly across Malaysian states.

Putrajaya recorded the highest percentage of children under 18 in 2023 at 41.1 per cent of its total population of 0.12 million, followed by Kelantan (34.4 per cent) and Terengganu (33.5 per cent).

Contrarily, Kuala Lumpur had the lowest percentage at 22.6 per cent. Selangor had the highest number of children under 18 at 1.81 million, followed by Johor (1.11 million) and Sabah (1.10 million). W.P. Labuan recorded the lowest number with 0.03 million children.

Age-Specific Child Population

In 2023, there were an estimated 3.11 million children aged 7 to 12 years.

Selangor had the highest percentage of children in this age group at 19.8 per cent, followed by Johor (12.3 per cent) and Sabah (10.8 per cent).

Labuan had the lowest percentage at 0.3 per cent.

Children aged 13 to 17 years numbered 2.64 million in 2023, with Selangor leading at 18.0 per cent, followed by Sabah (13.6 per cent) and Johor (12.8 per cent).

Labuan again recorded the lowest percentage at 0.3 per cent.

Marriage Statistics Reflect Broader Trends

DOSM also released marriage statistics for the fourth quarter of 2022, showing a slight decrease in the number of marriages.

There were 214,824 marriages in 2022, a 0.5 per cent decline from 215,973 in 2021.

Hence, the Crude Marriage Rate (CMR) decreased from 6.7 per thousand population in 2021 to 6.6 in 2022.

Muslim marriages in 2022 numbered 168,726, down 4.1 per cent from 176,002 in 2021, with the CMR for Muslims declining from 8.5 to 8.2 per thousand Muslim population.

Non-Muslim marriages increased by 15.3 per cent from 39,971 in 2021 to 46,098 in 2022, resulting in a CMR increase from 3.4 to 4.1 per thousand non-Muslim population.

General Marriage Rate (GMR) and Median Age at Marriage

The General Marriage Rate (GMR) for grooms and brides in 2022 also showed a decrease, from 46.0 to 45.3 for grooms and from 47.6 to 47.1 for brides.

Among Muslims, the GMR for grooms fell from 60.4 to 57.3, and for brides from 62.0 to 59.1.

In contrast, non-Muslim GMR increased for both grooms (from 22.4 to 25.7) and brides (from 23.6 to 27.0).

The median age at marriage remained steady for grooms at 28.0 years, while for brides, it increased from 26.0 years in 2021 to 27.0 years in 2022.

Among Muslims, the median age for grooms rose to 28.0 years from 27.0, while for brides, it remained at 26.0 years.

Non-Muslim median ages increased from 30.0 to 31.0 years for grooms and from 28.0 to 29.0 years for brides.

Inter-Ethnic Marriages

Inter-ethnic marriages constituted nearly 4 per cent of total marriages in 2022, with a decline of 15.4 per cent from 16,346 in 2021 to 13,833 in 2022.

Among Muslims, 44.2 per cent of inter-ethnic marriages involved Bumiputera grooms with brides from other ethnic groups.

Among non-Muslims, 44.8 per cent of inter-ethnic marriages involved Chinese grooms with brides from other ethnic groups.

The ongoing decline in birth rates and changing marriage patterns highlight significant demographic shifts in Malaysia, emphasising the need for comprehensive strategies to address potential future challenges.