How many people live in Malaysia right now?
Right now, according to UN estimates
36,511,293
| Today | In 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Births | · | · |
| Deaths | · | · |
| Net migration | · | · |
| Growth | · | · |
2026 figures
- Rank by population
- 45 of 237
- Share of world population
- 0.44%
- Median age
- 31.4 years
- Children per woman
- 1.52
- Life expectancy
- 77.2 years
- People per km²
- 111
According to UN estimates, about 36.5 million people live in Malaysia right now. It ranks 45th out of 237 countries and territories by population, between Mozambique and Ghana, and it is home to one in every 228 people on the planet.
Every day, about 1,200 people are born there and about 540 die. More people arrive than leave: net migration adds about 159,000 people a year. Overall, the population grows by about 1,100 people a day (1.10% a year).
In 1950, about 6.1 million people lived there. Today there are 6.0 times as many. The UN expects it to peak around 2072, at about 46.4 million, and then begin to fall. By 2050 it is projected to have about 44.3 million people (21% more than today), and by 2100 about 44.0 million.
Half of its people are younger than 31 (worldwide, 31). Women have an average of 1.52 children each, below the 2.1 needed for each generation to replace the one before, and life expectancy at birth is 77 years (worldwide, 74). There are 111 people per square kilometer.
UN estimates up to today and projections (medium variant) from today onward.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the population of Malaysia in 2026?
- Malaysia has about 36.5 million people right now, according to the UN's World Population Prospects 2024. On July 1, 2026, there were 36,385,115.
- How many people are born each day in Malaysia?
- About 1,200 a day (440,000 a year). About 540 people die each day (198,000 a year).
- Is the population of Malaysia growing?
- Yes: it grows by 1.10% a year, or about 401,000 people.
- What will the population of Malaysia be in 2050?
- According to the UN projection (medium variant), about 44.3 million, with a peak around 2072 at about 46.4 million.
- Why doesn't this figure match the country's official statistics?
- The UN estimates the population of every country with the same method, based on censuses, surveys and registers, and projects it year by year. Each national statistics office uses its own censuses and registers, which may be more up to date or count foreign residents differently. That is why the figures can differ slightly.
Countries with a similar population
- Poland 37,796,208
- Uzbekistan 37,929,432
- Mozambique 36,962,543
- Ghana 35,896,075
- Saudi Arabia 35,352,630
- Peru 35,027,419
More countries in Asia
- India 1,480,584,591
- China 1,411,889,031
- Indonesia 288,550,010
- Pakistan 260,627,441
- Bangladesh 178,484,150
- Japan 122,207,108
- Philippines 118,018,775
- Vietnam 102,351,257
- Iran 93,380,179
- Turkey 88,012,235
- Thailand 71,536,979
- Myanmar 55,285,209
All countries and territories →
Where these figures come from
The figures are estimates from the United Nations Population Division, published in World Population Prospects 2024 (medium variant): the reference used by international organizations and by most population counters. The UN estimates how many people there are on July 1 of each year and how many are born, die and migrate; between one date and the next, this counter spreads the change continuously, second by second.
It is not a real-time headcount: nobody can count every person in a country at once. It is the best available estimate, and it may differ slightly from the figures of each country's statistics office, which use their own censuses and population registers.