Malaysia’s fertility rate fell to 1.5 children per woman in 2025: DOSM

The country recorded 396,175 live births in 2025, down 4.5% from the previous year, while total deaths increased slightly to 199,807.

Malaysia’s total fertility rate (TFR) fell to 1.5 children per woman aged 15-49 years in 2025, a decrease from 1.6 in 2024, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).

The figures were reported in DOSM’s Vital Statistics, Malaysia, 2026, which presents data on births and deaths by demographic characteristics at national, state, and administrative district levels for 2025 – to support national policy formulation and programme planning in population, health, education, employment, and other areas.

The latest statistics also showed a decline in the number of live births and the crude birth rate (CBR), while the number of deaths increased over the same period.

Fertility rate declined across ethnic groups

Among the major ethnic groups, Malays continued to record the highest TFR at 1.9 children per woman aged 15-49 years, unchanged from 2024. The TFR for other Bumiputera declined from 1.6 to 1.5 children per woman, while the rate for Indians remained unchanged at 1.1. Chinese recorded the lowest TFR, falling from 0.9 children per woman in 2024 to 0.7 in 2025.

At state level, Terengganu recorded the highest TFR at 2.5 children per woman in 2025, followed by Kelantan at 2.3 and Pahang at 1.8. In contrast, Pulau Pinang recorded the lowest rate at 1.1 children per woman, down from 1.2 in 2024.

Live births fell by 4.5%

Malaysia recorded 396,175 live births in 2025, a decrease of 18,743 births, or 4.5%, from 414,918 in 2024.

The CBR, which measures the number of live births per 1,000 people in a population, also declined from 12.2 in 2024 to 11.6 in 2025.

All major ethnic groups recorded a lower CBR in 2025 compared with the previous year. Malays had the highest rate at 14.9 births per 1,000 population, while Chinese recorded the lowest at 5.0.

The decline was also reflected across all states.

Overall, Terengganu recorded the highest state-level CBR at 18.7 births per 1,000 population, while Pulau Pinang had the lowest at 9.3.

Deaths rose by 0.4%

While births declined, the number of deaths in Malaysia increased slightly in 2025.

DOSM recorded 199,807 deaths during the year, increase by 815, or 0.4%, from 198,992 deaths in 2024.

The crude death rate (CDR), which measures the number of deaths per 1,000 people in a population, remained unchanged at 5.8 in 2025.

By ethnic group, Indians recorded the highest CDR at 8.2 deaths per 1,000 population, while other Bumiputera had the lowest at 5.7. The CDR for Chinese declined from 7.6 in 2024 to 7.5 in 2025.

At state level, Perak recorded the highest CDR at 8.2 deaths per 1,000 population. W.P. Putrajaya recorded the lowest at 2.6.

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Infographic / DOSM