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DOSM: One baby born every minute but birth rate still falling, Selangor tops list while Labuan lowest

DOSM: One baby born every minute but birth rate still falling, Selangor tops list while Labuan lowest

Malay Mail2 days ago
PUTRAJAYA, Aug 14 — The number of live births in Malaysia fell by 7.1 per cent to 93,435 in the second quarter of 2025, compared to 100,558 during the corresponding period last year, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia's (DOSM) Demographic Statistics report released today.
Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said male babies continued to outnumber females, with 48,444 births compared to 44,991, resulting in a sex ratio of 108 males for every 100 females.
'On average, one baby was born every minute, 43 babies every hour and 1,027 babies each day in the second quarter of 2025,' he said in a statement today.
He said Selangor recorded the highest number of live births at 17,605, while the Federal Territory of Labuan recorded the lowest with 274 births.
'Mothers aged 30 to 39 years recorded the highest live births with 48,503 births, which is 51.9 per cent, followed by mothers aged 20 to 29 years (40.8 per cent), 40 years and over (5.6 per cent) and less than 20 years (1.6 per cent),' he said.
Mohd Uzir said a total of 48,408 deaths were recorded in the second quarter of 2025, a decrease of 3.0 per cent compared to 49,906 deaths in the second quarter of 2024.
'The number of deaths for males was 27,607, while females recorded 20,801 deaths, with the gender ratio for deaths being 133 males for every 100 females,' he said.
Despite the decline in births, Malaysia's population was estimated at 34.2 million in the second quarter of 2025, up from 34.1 million in the same period of 2024, reflecting a slower growth of 0.5 per cent compared to 1.9 per cent previously.
'To achieve the targeted population growth of 1.1 per cent outlined in the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP), Malaysia needs to add around 400,000 people annually,' Mohd Uzir said.
As of the second quarter of 2025, he said, citizens accounted for 30.9 million (90.1 per cent) of the population, while non-citizens made up 3.4 million (9.9 per cent).
The male population increased to 18.0 million from 17.9 million a year ago, while the female population grew to 16.3 million from 16.2 million, he said. — Bernama
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