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Malaysia — Population growth
Population Growth (Annual %) for Malaysia, 1961–2025.
Latest value · 2025
1.17%
Population Growth (Annual %) · annual % · -54.5% since 1961
Population growth for Malaysia was 1.17% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 65 years, from 1961 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 3.29% in 1985. The lowest was 1.15% in 2021 (about 1.0× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -1.22% per year.
Malaysia ranks 91 of 217 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 42%. The median for East Asia & Pacific is 0.64%, so Malaysia sits above it. It peaked in 1985 and has fallen 64% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved down 32%.
Key figures
Latest (2025)
1.17%
First (1961)
2.58%
Change
-54.5%
Highest
3.29%
in 1985
Lowest
1.15%
in 2021
Average
2.32%
Annual growth (CAGR)
-1.22%
Years of data
65
Recent years
| Year | annual % |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 1.17% |
| 2024 | 1.22% |
| 2023 | 1.23% |
| 2022 | 1.2% |
| 2021 | 1.15% |
| 2020 | 1.33% |
| 2019 | 1.6% |
| 2018 | 1.7% |
| 2017 | 1.76% |
| 2016 | 1.77% |
| 2015 | 1.73% |
| 2014 | 1.71% |
Reading this correctly. Annual population growth rate. A negative value means the population shrank, usually through emigration or low birth rates. Figures are in annual %. Comparing this series with a different measure of the same concept (for example a nominal figure against a purchasing-power-parity figure) will give misleading results.
Related data
Source. World Bank Open Data, indicator
SP.POP.GROW — Population Growth (Annual %). Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.