Sometime this week – possibly even today – the population of Malaysia will reach 30 million for the first time, and chances are the 30 millionth citizen will be a newborn Malay boy.
According to the Statistics Department, Malaysia’s population has more than tripled since the federation was formed in 1963. In 1957 when Malaya became independent, there were only 6.3 million Malayans.
The Statistics Department also mentioned that in Malaysia, boys outnumber girls by a ratio of 6:1, and Malays form the largest segment of the population.
While the nation’s population has experienced a boom, it is still a far cry from former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed’s vision of a Malaysian population of 70 million by the year 2100.
Projections show that Malaysia’s population will grow to 38.6 million by 2040. At a projected growth rate of 1 per cent, Malaysia’s population will at most be 65 million by 2100.
By 2040, the Statistics Department projects the number of Malays will increase to 20.9 million (54 per cent); other Bumiputras at 5.2 million (14 per cent); Chinese, 7.1 million (18 per cent); Indians at 2.3 million (6 per cent); and non-Malaysians at 2.7 million (7 per cent).
As of 2010, the Bumiputra group consists of 67.4 per cent, Chinese, 24.6 per cent, Indians, 7.3 per cent, while others, make up 0.7 per cent.
By comparison, when Malaya achieved independence in 1957, Malays constituted 49 per cent of the population, followed by the Chinese at 38 per cent, Indians at 11 per cent, and others making up 2 per cent.
Photo: Phalinn Ooi / Flickr
Source: The Malay Mail Online
