There are more single men than women in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR: About 2.5 million of Malaysians aged 25 and above are unmarried and more men are unmarried than women.

This includes those who are divorced, widowed and those who had never married.

The Population and Housing Census of Malaysia 2010 showed that this figure comprised 60.4 per cent men and 38.6 per cent women, said Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister Senator Heng Sai Kee.

She told the Dewan Negara Tuesday that the average age of men marrying for the first time had dropped to 28, compared to 28.6 in 2000.

"For women, they marry at the average age of 25.7 compared to 25.1 in 2000," she said in reply to a question from Senator Datuk Boon Som Inong who asked for the number of unmarried men and women in Malaysia and the reason for it.

Heng said the Fourth Malaysian Population and Family Survey conducted by the National Population and Family Development Board revealed that 32.1 percent of respondents had never tied the knot.

She said of this number, 55.6 percent were men and 44.4 percent women.

"According to 44.7 percent of the male respondents, they didn't marry due to financial problems, others cite no suitable candidates (19.3 percent), career (12.8 percent), family commitment (6.3 percent) and other reasons.

"Forty percent of women said they did not marry as they have not found eligible suitors, while some mentioned financial problems (14 percent), career (8.4 percent), comfort in being single (8.4 percent), family commitment (7.4 percent) and other reasons," she said.

Heng said the ministry has no plans to set up a matchmaking agency or online matchmaking service as it was already being done by private companies, non-governmental organisations, religious bodies and even political parties. - Bernama