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Malaysia’s baby bust accelerates shift towards greying society

Malaysia’s shift towards an older society is accelerating, as children make up a shrinking share of the population and older people a growing one, raising…

By Samantha Johnson / July 31, 2026
Malaysia’s shift towards an older society is accelerating, as children make up a shrinking share of the population and older people a growing one, raising difficult questions over who will work, pay taxes and provide care in the decades ahead.

Children aged 14 and below made up 21.2 per cent of the population in 2026, down from 21.6 per cent a year earlier, according to official figures released by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) on Friday.

People aged 65 and above rose from 8 per cent to 8.4 per cent, while the working-age share, covering those aged 15 to 64, remained unchanged at 70.4 per cent.

The shift is unfolding even as the Southeast Asian nation’s population is estimated to have grown to 34.4 million this year, from 34.2 million in 2025.

An elderly Malaysian woman is helped as she leaves after casting her vote at a polling station during the 14th general election in Alor Setar in 2018. Photo: AFP
An elderly Malaysian woman is helped as she leaves after casting her vote at a polling station during the 14th general election in Alor Setar in 2018. Photo: AFP

But annual growth remained at just 0.5 per cent, underscoring the pressure on policymakers as they prepare for an older society with a smaller pool of future workers and heavier demands on healthcare and retirement systems.

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