Population by labor force status in Malaysia
Malaysia: Population by labor force status was 7.67 million people in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
7.67 million people
Change on year
down 1.0%
World rank
53rd
of 186 countries
All-time high
8.19 million people
in 2018
All-time low
6.77 million people
in 1991
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Population by labor force status in Malaysia, 1991–2025
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
Malaysia recorded 7.67 million people for population by labor force status in 2025.
The figure is down 1.0% on the previous year and down 4.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population by labor force status in Malaysia peaked at 8.19 million people in 2018 and was at its lowest, 6.77 million people, in 1991.
Malaysia ranks 53rd of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Population by labor force status in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 6.77 million people | — |
| 1992 | 6.89 million people | +1.7% |
| 1993 | 7.01 million people | +1.7% |
| 1994 | 7.13 million people | +1.8% |
| 1995 | 7.27 million people | +1.9% |
| 1996 | 7.40 million people | +1.9% |
| 1997 | 7.54 million people | +1.8% |
| 1998 | 7.66 million people | +1.7% |
| 1999 | 7.77 million people | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 7.85 million people | +1.0% |
| 2001 | 7.92 million people | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 7.99 million people | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 8.05 million people | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 8.08 million people | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 8.10 million people | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 8.11 million people | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 8.11 million people | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 8.09 million people | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 8.05 million people | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 8.01 million people | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 7.99 million people | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 8.00 million people | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 8.02 million people | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 8.03 million people | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 8.06 million people | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 8.11 million people | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 8.15 million people | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 8.19 million people | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 8.18 million people | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 8.12 million people | -0.8% |
| 2021 | 8.02 million people | -1.2% |
| 2022 | 7.92 million people | -1.2% |
| 2023 | 7.83 million people | -1.2% |
| 2024 | 7.75 million people | -1.1% |
| 2025 | 7.67 million people | -1.0% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 7.67 million people is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.99 million people, 3.9× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 7.67 million people is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.11 million people, 6.9× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.27 million people | 6.77 million people | 7.77 million people | 9 |
| 2000s | 8.04 million people | 7.85 million people | 8.11 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.07 million people | 7.99 million people | 8.19 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.88 million people | 7.67 million people | 8.12 million people | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More work & labour data for Malaysia
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.2671 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.2772 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.2563 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.25 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.6933 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 36,440 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 5,289 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 21,832 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 22,194 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 44,026 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population by labor force status in Malaysia?
- Population by labor force status in Malaysia was 7.67 million people in 2025, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest population by labor force status recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 8.19 million people in 2018.
- What is the lowest population by labor force status recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.77 million people in 1991.
- How does Malaysia rank for population by labor force status?
- Malaysia ranks 53rd out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population by labor force status rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malaysia data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Population by labor force status. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Population below working age (under 15 years old).