KUALA LUMPUR: Statistics have shown that the country's male population has increased by 0.1 million more than females in the first quarter of the year.
The male population has risen to 17.8 million from 17.4 million, while the female population has increased to 16.1 million from 15.8 million.
Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said there were 111 males for every 100 females in the population.
The total population of the country had slightly risen to 34 million in the first quarter, which was a 2.3 per cent increase from the previous year.
Uzir said 90 per cent of them were citizens and the rest were foreign nationals.
He also reported an increase in young and working-age populations, with those between 0 to 14 rising from 7.5 million to 7.7 million, and those between 15 and 64 increasing from 23.2 million to 23.8 million.
The population of seniors aged 65 and above remained steady at 2.5 million.
"In Sabah, the Kadazandusun comprised 2.1 per cent of the population, Bajaus 1.8 per cent and Muruts at 0.3 per cent.
"Whereas, in Sarawak, Ibans accounted for 2.4 per cent, Bidayuh people at 0.7 per cent and Melanaus at 0.4 per cent in population," said Uzir.
He said there was a 9.4 per cent decline in live births, totaling around 106,386 newborns for this quarter, with males outnumbering females.
The majority of births were recorded in Selangor, while the least were in Labuan.
Malays had the most live births at 68.8 per cent, up from 67.6 per cent in the previous year, while the birth rate among Chinese and Indians had decreased.
The number of deaths had decreased by 1.5 per cent from the previous year to 47,964, with those aged 60 and above having the highest numbers.
"Malays accounted for 51.4 per cent of total deaths, and deaths among the Chinese community also increased. The death rate for Indians remained steady, while deaths among other Bumiputeras have decreased," he said.
This data, released by DOSM, highlighted the ongoing demographic trends shaping the country's population dynamics.