Population of Malaysia 2023 | Religion in Malaysia
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Malaysia Population 2023
Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia, separated by the South China Sea into two regions, Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo’s East Malaysia. As per the UN World Population Prospects report, the population of Malaysia in 2022 is 33,938,222 (34 million or 3.4 Crores)
Estimated population of Malaysia 2023: 34.3 million or 3.43 Crores
read about top countries in Asia by population
Malaysia Demographics
| Malaysia | 2022 Population |
| Total Population | 33,938,222 |
| Global Rank | 45 |
| Share of World Pop. | 0.42% |
| Land Area | 329,613 sq. km (127,264 sq. mi) |
| Area Rank | 67 |
| Pop. Density | 99 people/sq. km |
| Capital City | Kuala Lumpur |
| Fertility Rate* of Malaysia | 2.01 |
| Infant mortality rate** in Malaysia | 5.2 |
| Median Age in Malaysia | 30.3 Years |
| Life Expectancy in Malaysia | 76.65 years |
| Urban Population of Malaysia | 78.4 % |
Source: United Nation World Populations Prospects
Religion in Malaysia
Malaysian constitution grants freedom of religion and it’s a secular state, and Islam is the “religion of the Federation”. According to Census 2020, Approximately 63.5% of the population follows Islam. Sunni Islam of the Shafi’i school of jurisprudence is the dominant branch of Islam in Malaysia, while 18% are nondenominational Muslims.
Buddhism is the second largest religion and is followed by 18.7% of the population. 83.6% of the Chinese population identify as Buddhist, with significant numbers of adherents following Taoism (3.4%) and Christianity (11.1%), along with small Muslim populations in areas like Penang.
Among Other religions 9.1% follows Christianity, 6.1% Hinduism and 1.3% practice Confucianism, Taoism, and other traditional Chinese religions. and the remaining 2.7% are classified as unaffiliated, which can mean agnostic, atheist, or “nothing in particular.”
The majority of the Indian population follows Hinduism (86.2%), with a significant minority identifying as Christians (6.0%) or Muslims (4.1%). Christianity is the predominant religion of the non-Malay Bumiputera community (46.5%) with an additional 40.4% identifying as Muslims.
Religion percentage in Malaysia
| Religion /Affiliations | Percentage |
| Islam | 63.50% |
| Buddhism | 18.70% |
| Christianity | 9.10% |
| Hinduism | 6.10% |
| Chinese folk religion | 1.30% |
| Unaffiliated | 2.70% |
Source: Census 2020
Top Cities in Malaysia by Population
| # | City | State | Population |
| 1 | Kuala Lumpur | Federal Territories | 15,88,750 |
| 2 | Seberang Perai | Penang | 8,18,197 |
| 3 | Kajang | Selangor | 7,95,522 |
| 4 | Klang | Selangor | 7,44,062 |
| 5 | Subang Jaya | Selangor | 7,08,296 |
| 6 | George Town | Penang | 7,08,127 |
| 7 | Ipoh | Perak | 6,57,892 |
| 8 | Petaling Jaya | Selangor | 6,13,977 |
| 9 | Kuching | Sarawak | 5,70,407 |
| 10 | Selayang | Selangor | 5,42,409 |
| 11 | Shah Alam | Selangor | 5,41,306 |
| 12 | Iskandar Puteri | Johor | 5,29,074 |
| 13 | Seremban | Negeri Sembilan | 5,15,490 |
| 14 | Johor Bahru | Johor | 4,97,067 |
| 15 | Malacca City | Malacca | 4,84,855 |
| 16 | Ampang Jaya | Selangor | 4,68,961 |
| 17 | Kota Kinabalu | Sabah | 4,52,058 |
| 18 | Sungai Petani | Kedah | 4,43,488 |
| 19 | Kuantan | Pahang | 4,27,515 |
| 20 | Alor Setar | Kedah | 4,05,523 |
Indian Population in Malaysia
As per the 2018 Ministry of External Affairs report, there are 2,987,950 (29.88 Lakhs) Indians residing in Malaysia.
- Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) – 2,760,000 (27.60 Lakhs)
- Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) – 227,950 (2.28 Lakhs)
Read more about Indian Population in Malaysia