KUALA LUMPUR: The Total Fertility Rate (TFR) is 2.1 births per woman in Malaysia, Dewan Rakyat told.
Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Rohani Abdul Karim said TFR in Malaysia, which was recorded in 2012, is equivalent to replacement level fertility (at which a population exactly replaces itself from one generation to the next or replacement rate).
She said the country is facing a zero population growth based on the replacement rate.
"TFR for Malays in 2012 was 2.6 children compared to 1.6 and 1.5 for Chinese and Indians, respectively," she said in responding to a question by Dr Azman Ismail (PKR-Kuala Kedah).
TFR refers to the average birth by women aged between 15 and 49.
Rohani said the ministry did not place specific target for TFR based on races in Malaysia.
"The ministry is nonetheless is concerned with the declining rate as the United Nations has also projected TFR in Malaysia as 1.91 births (per woman) by 2020. Declining TFR means declining population rate in the country," she said.