Page 64 - AEI Insights 2019 - Vol. 5, Issue 1
P. 64
AEI Insights, Vol 5, Issue 1, 2019
Figure 5: Crude Birth Rate of Malaysia, Source: World Bank Development Indicators
The total fertility rate of Malaysia declined enormously in the last 55 years. Whereas every
Malaysian woman gave birth to an average 6.5 children in 1960, this number went down to 5.0
in 1970, 4.07 in 1980, 3.55 in 1990, 2.78 in 2000, 2.15 in 2010 until a comparatively very low
2.06 in the year 2015.
Figure 6: Total Fertility Rate in Malaysia, Source: World Bank Development Indicators
It is apparent that the Malaysian population is growing but at a decreasing rate. This was caused
by a decline in the number of births, as the crude death rate remained constant while the total
fertility rate fell. As can be seen in Figure 7 below, there are some remarkable regional
differences in terms of the birth rates in the various Malaysian states. The birth rates in the rural
and rather traditional Islamic states of Kelantan and Terengganu are higher than in the rest of
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