PUTRAJAYA, May 27 ― Malaysia’s population is estimated at 32.75 million in the first quarter of 2021, an increase by 0.4 per cent from 32.62 million in the same period of 2020, according to the Demographic Statistics report.

Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Mohd Uzir Mahidin in a statement today said based on the report, the country’s total population comprised 29.91 million or 91.3 per cent citizens and 2.84 million or 8.7 per cent non-citizens.

Males outnumbered females at 16.83 and 15.92 million, respectively.

Mohd Uzir said the composition of the population aged 65 years and over increased from 2.26 million to 2.37 million during the same period.

"This trend is in line with other developed countries that are heading towards an ageing population,” he said.

The population aged 0 to14 years old in the first quarter of 2021 decreased to 7.56 million compared to 7.61 million in the first quarter of 2020.

In the first quarter of this year, the number of live births recorded a decrease of 10.8 per cent to 102,969 births as compared to the same period last year of 115,439 births.

"There is no baby boom in the first quarter of 2021 as anticipated following the Movement Control Order due to pandemic Covid-19,” he said.

A total of 43,545 deaths were recorded in the first quarter of this year, an increase of 0.7 per cent compared with 43,226 deaths reported in the same period last year. ― Bernama