PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia recorded the lowest number of live births since 1980, with 414,918 births in 2024, a 9% drop from 455,761 in 2023, according to the Vital Statistics, Malaysia, 2025, released by the Statistics Department (DOSM) on Thursday (Oct 16).
Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin, in a statement, said male babies outnumbered females, with 213,919 males and 200,999 females recorded.
"The decrease in the number of live births has contributed to the decline in crude birth rate (CBR) from 13.6 births in 2023 to 12.2 births per 1,000 population in 2024.
"The sex ratio at birth (SRB) recorded a decrease from 107.4 males in 2023 to 106.4 males for every 100 females in 2024," he said.
He added that Malay births accounted for 65.7% (272,718) of the total live births in 2024, down from 67% (305,494) the previous year.
Chinese births rose slightly from 9.8% (44,818) to 10.8% (44,914), while Indian births declined from 4.4% (20,064) to 4.3% (17,914).
According to Mohd Uzir, all states recorded a decrease in CBR last year compared to 2023, with Terengganu posting the highest rate at 19.3 births, while Penang had the lowest at 10.1 births per 1,000 population.
The total fertility rate (TFR) also fell from 1.7 children per woman in 2023 to 1.6 in 2024.
The rate has remained below the replacement level of 2.1 since 2013, after staying above it between 1970 and 2012.
Meanwhile, Mohd Uzir said Malaysia recorded 198,992 deaths in 2024, a 1% increase from 196,965 in 2023. The crude death rate (CDR) edged down slightly from 5.9 to 5.8 deaths per 1,000 population.
Male deaths stood at 113,866, while female deaths totalled 85,126. The 70-74 age group recorded the highest number of deaths (24,513 or 12.3%), while the 5-9 age group recorded the lowest (412 or 0.2%). - Bernama
