Is Malaysia getting old?
Yes. Malaysia is now an ageing society, more than 1 in 13 people are 65 or older, and the country is on track to be an aged society by around 2040.
Yes, and faster than most Malaysians realise. In 2024, 7.7% of Malaysians were aged 65 and over, above the 7% line the United Nations uses to call a country an ageing society. Counting everyone 60 and older, it is 11.6%, about 3.9 million people, up from just 5.5% in 1970. The Department of Statistics Malaysia projects Malaysia will become an aged society, 14% aged 65+, within about 16 years, around 2040. Fewer babies and longer lives are flipping the age pyramid.
Share of Malaysians aged 60 and over, 1970 to 2050
The over-60 share has roughly doubled since 1970 and is projected to keep climbing. Values for 2040 and 2050 are DOSM projections. Selected years shown.
The age pyramid is flipping
Malaysia's youngest and oldest have traded places since 1970: the share under 14 has halved while the 60-and-over share has doubled. Percentages of total population.
What it means
- In 2024, 7.7% of Malaysians were aged 65 and over, up from 7.4% in 2023 and past the 7% line the UN uses to define an ageing society.
- Counting everyone 60 and over, it is 11.6%, about 3.9 million people, more than double the 5.5% share in 1970.
- The old-age dependency ratio rose to 10.9 in 2024: roughly nine working-age Malaysians for every person 65 or older, and falling.
- The age pyramid is flipping: the under-14 share has halved since 1970 (44.5% to 22.2%) while the 60-plus share has doubled.
- DOSM projects Malaysia will be an aged society (14% aged 65+) in about 16 years, around 2040, and the 60-plus share will reach 17.3% by 2040. Fewer babies plus longer lives is the driver.
- Publisher
- Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) · Government, national statistics office
- Document
- Current Population Estimates and Population Projections, Malaysia
- Published
- 2024 to 2025
- Source link
- https://data.gov.my/data-catalogue/population_malaysia
- Retrieved
- 2026-07-13
- Coverage
- Share of population aged 65+ (7.7% in 2024, up from 7.4% in 2023) and the old-age dependency ratio (10.9 in 2024) are DOSM Current Population Estimates. Share aged 60+ (11.6%, 3.9 million in 2024; 5.5% in 1970) and the under-14 share (22.2% in 2024; 44.5% in 1970), plus projections to 2040 (17.3% aged 60+, 6.4 million of 37.1 million) and 2050 (23.4%), are DOSM figures reported in its 2024 population projections. UN ageing thresholds: ageing society at 7% aged 65+, aged society at 14%, super-aged at 20%. Median age 31.3 in 2025. Projection year for aged-society status is approximate.
Frequently asked
Is Malaysia an ageing society?
Yes. In 2024, 7.7% of Malaysians were aged 65 and over, above the 7% threshold the United Nations uses to classify a country as an ageing society, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM). It was 7.4% in 2023.
When will Malaysia become an aged society?
DOSM projects Malaysia will reach aged-society status, meaning 14% of the population aged 65 and over, in about 16 years from 2024, so around 2040. A super-aged society is 20% aged 65+.
What percentage of Malaysia's population is elderly?
In 2024, 7.7% were aged 65 and over, and 11.6% (about 3.9 million people) were aged 60 and over, up from 5.5% in 1970 (DOSM). The old-age dependency ratio was 10.9.
Why is Malaysia's population ageing?
Two forces: Malaysians are living longer, and they are having far fewer children. The total fertility rate has fallen to 1.6, below the 2.1 replacement level, so each generation is smaller, which raises the share of older people over time.
Malaysia, decoded monthly
One email a month, the numbers that run the country, pulled straight from the source. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.