Malaysia Economic Intelligence
Malaysia State Population Dashboard
Explore official population statistics for every Malaysian state using data published by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM). Analyse long-term population growth, compare states, and examine demographic characteristics by gender, age group and ethnicity through interactive charts, rankings and downloadable datasets.
Latest State Ranking
| Year | State | Sex | Age Group | Ethnicity | Population |
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How to Read This Dashboard
Population values are shown in normal totals. Use “All age groups”, “Both sexes” and “All ethnic groups” for the broadest state population view. More detailed filters allow you to inspect demographic segments, but older years may have less detailed ethnicity and age breakdowns because DOSM granularity changed over time.
Understanding Malaysia’s State Population Statistics
Population statistics provide one of the most fundamental measures of economic and social development. Understanding how populations change over time helps governments, businesses, investors and researchers make informed decisions regarding infrastructure, education, healthcare, transportation, housing and commercial investment.
This dashboard uses official statistics published by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), ensuring that every figure displayed originates from Malaysia’s national statistical authority. The dashboard enables visitors to compare population trends across all Malaysian states while also exploring demographic characteristics such as gender, age groups and ethnicity whenever these breakdowns are available within the official dataset.
Dashboard Features
- Interactive state population trends covering multiple years.
- Compare several Malaysian states simultaneously.
- Filter by gender, age group and ethnicity where available.
- View the latest recorded population for the selected filters.
- Identify historical highest and lowest population values.
- Visualise trends using line and bar charts.
- Review ranking tables comparing states.
- Search individual records instantly.
- Download filtered results as CSV for further analysis.
How to Interpret Population Data
Population figures are presented in thousands of persons, following the reporting convention used by DOSM. For example, a value of 5,420 represents approximately 5.42 million people.
When analysing long-term trends, it is important to recognise that population changes are influenced by multiple factors including births, deaths, migration, urbanisation and economic opportunities. States experiencing sustained economic growth often attract internal migration, while rapidly expanding metropolitan areas generally record stronger population growth than rural regions.
Comparing population statistics alongside other economic indicators such as employment, household income and inflation can provide a more comprehensive understanding of Malaysia’s regional development patterns.
Understanding the Available Filters
The dashboard provides several demographic filters to help users explore different segments of Malaysia’s population.
State
Display historical population trends for an individual Malaysian state or compare multiple states simultaneously.
Gender
Compare the distribution of males, females or both sexes combined where available in the official dataset.
Age Group
Analyse different population age groups or view the overall population depending on the available DOSM data.
Ethnicity
Where available, users may examine official population estimates for different ethnic groups as published by DOSM.
Who Can Benefit from This Dashboard?
This dashboard is suitable for businesses evaluating regional markets, logistics companies planning distribution networks, investors researching population centres, property developers assessing demand, academic researchers analysing demographic trends, government agencies preparing regional policies, and students studying Malaysia’s population development.
Because all statistics originate from official government publications, the dashboard serves as a reliable reference for both professional and educational purposes.
Data Source
The information presented in this dashboard is sourced from the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) through Malaysia Open Data / OpenDOSM. Data availability, classifications and historical coverage are determined by the official publications released by DOSM. Interactive visualisations are provided by LAF for educational and analytical purposes and do not modify or reinterpret the underlying official statistics.