TERENGGANU is among five states in Malaysia which have recorded a low annual population growth rate of 1.3%.
The other states are Melaka, Perlis and the Federal Territories of Labuan and Putrajaya.
Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzair Mahidin said Terengganu’s population in 2020 was 1.15 million or only 3% of Malaysia’s total population of 32.4 million.
“Terengganu is having fewer residents. One factor for the decline in population is migration to other states for economic opportunities.
“However, the Terengganu Sejahtera Master Plan 2030 (Pitas 2030) launched by the state government may bring more job opportunities in the future.”
He said this recently after giving a briefing under the “Parliamentary and State Constituency Tour Series: Main Findings of the Malaysia Census 2020, Terengganu State” at Wisma Darul Iman, Kuala Terengganu.
On a related matter, Mohd Uzair said urbanisation in Terengganu rose from 59.3% in 2010 to 64.2% in 2020.
“Hence, the state government needs to give more attention to the implications or issues such as urban poverty, rising cost of living and provision of services for the people’s well-being.
“The services sector is the biggest contributor to Terengganu’s gross domestic product (GDP), around 53%.“Of the country’s total domestic tourists of 131.6 million, Terengganu received 7.4 million,” he added. – Bernama
