Stronger support urged to help young M’sians achieve aspirations
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s youth dream of building successful careers, stable families and meaningful futures, but experts say turning those aspirations into reality requires stronger support as the country marks World Population Day 2026.
Celebrated annually on July 11, this year’s event is themed “Realising the Hopes and Aspirations of Young People: Today and for the Future,” highlighting young people as architects of every nation’s future.
The Women, Family and Community Development Ministry said this year’s celebration is especially important as Malaysia undergoes significant demographic changes especially among youths.
This includes the rising average marriage age between 2016 and 2024, from 30 to 31.2 years old for men and from 27.5 to 29.1 years-old for women, the ministry said in a statement yesterday.
“These changes affect couples’ reproductive period, the number of births and the direction of the country’s family development.
“Such aspirations are also often delayed due to economic constraints, the rising cost of living, access to housing, gender inequality and concerns about the future,” it said.
This change is reflected in Malaysia’s decreasing total fertility rate from 1.7 children per woman in 2023 to 1.6 children per woman in 2024 aged between 15 and 49, based on a Vital Statistics Malaysia 2025 report from the Statistics Department.
As such, Malaysia’s growing ageing population (65 years and over) is projected to nearly triple from 6.8% in 2020 to 18.3% in 2060, according to the department’s Population Projections, 2020-2060 report in July last year.
Mental health counsellor Dr Anasuya Jegathevi Jegathesan said older generations must recognise the modern issues faced by youths instead of disregarding them as regular life struggles.
“We need to change the way we respond to young people, so that workplaces become vibrant again and every generation understands the importance of the other generations.
“New generations are facing situations that we never faced before, an abundance of materialistic things like AI and new technologies but a scarcity of spiritual and mental health strength or support.
“This leaves youths with too many worries, and excessive anxiety that causes negative thoughts and self-deprecation, leading many to freeze or self-sabotage themselves whenever they see a potential positive future,” she said.
Global Leadership and Development Forum founder and vice-president Varsha Ajmera said the over-connectivity of the modern world, job-hunting difficulties and rising living costs are taking a toll on youths’ confidence.
“Young Malaysians are more connected than ever, but they also face online harassment, scams, misinformation and constant social comparison with the pressure to always be ‘visible’ online affecting confidence and mental well-being.
“When a fresh graduate can’t find work that matches what they trained for, that hope for a better life also quietly erodes, and some stop trying altogether,” she said.
Varsha called for stronger life-skills education, safer digital spaces, better university-industry collaboration and greater youth participation in policymaking to prepare future generations.
“The question is not whether today’s youth are ready for the future but whether today’s society is doing enough to prepare the future for its youth.”
Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia president Ahmad Fahmi Mohd Samsudin said discussions surrounding population should extend beyond demographic numbers to the quality of people a nation develops.
He described today’s greatest challenge as “a crisis of hope”, with many young Malaysians questioning whether hard work will still lead to meaningful employment, stable families and brighter futures.
“The real challenge is whether we can cultivate individuals who are capable of leading a world that is increasingly complex, technology-driven and filled with uncertainty,” he said.
