KOTA KINABALU: The non-citizen population in Sabah declined from 1.043 million in 2024 to 1.04 million last year, says the Statistics Department.
It added that based on records up to Dec 24, Sabah recorded the most non-Malaysians from 1991 to last year compared to other states.
In a statement on Thursday (Jan 8), it said the highest percentage of non-citizens in the state was 56.5% (453,470 people) recorded in 1991, while the highest number of non-citizens was 1.158 million in 2018.
The department stated that the structure of the non-Malaysian population decreased during the Covid-19 pandemic from 2020 to 2022.
Last year, Sandakan had the most non-citizens (195,100), followed by Tawau (142,900) and Kota Kinabalu (125,400), it said.
It noted that Kota Kinabalu saw an increase in non-citizens from 2024 (121,800) following the post-pandemic reopening of the economic and education sectors, with foreign labour and international students returning to the state.
Despite this increase, however, the figure for Kota Kinabalu last year was lower than in 2018 (144,700).
According to the department, the figures are based on the International Migration Statistics 2025, and take into account individuals who have resided or plan to reside in an area for six months or more in a year.
The statement comes less than a week after four Parti Warisan assemblymen asked the state government to explain the increasing number of non-citizens residing in Sabah, and what measures it was taking to solve the long-standing issue.
