PETALING JAYA: The fertility rates in 13 states and federal territories have fallen below the critical replacement level of 2.1 children per woman, with Penang and Kuala Lumpur recording the lowest rates at just 1.2, according to chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr. Mohd Uzir Mahidin.
According to The Star, he revealed this in a video presentation on Malaysia’s population trends.
Meanwhile, only three states—Terengganu, Kelantan, and Pahang—are producing enough babies to replace their populations, according to the Statistics Department.
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“Only Terengganu, Kelantan, and Pahang are recording a TFR above the replacement level,“ he was quoted as saying.
He noted that Terengganu leads with a fertility rate of 2.9, followed by Kelantan (2.7) and Pahang (2.1).
Meanwhile, Sabah, which once boasted a TFR of 5.5 children in 1980, has seen its rate drop drastically to 1.4 in 2022.
The overall downward trend, which began in 2013, reflects a broader demographic shift across ethnic groups.
“Between 1980 and 2022, the TFR for all main ethnic groups has been declining.
“The trend of TFR for all ethnic groups except for Malays is below replacement level.
“The Malay ethnic group recorded the highest TFR of 2.1 in 2022, while the Chinese ethnic group recorded the lowest TFR at 0.8 children for every woman aged 15 to 49,“ he stated.
The drop in fertility rates has also led to smaller family sizes in Malaysia. In 1970, households typically had over five members on average (5.5), but today, that number has decreased to 3.7.
Perlis now has the smallest average household size at 3.1, while Kelantan remains the largest with 4.8 members per household.
Chai Sen Tyng, a senior research officer at Universiti Putra Malaysia’s Malaysian Research Institute on Ageing (MyAgeing), attributes the decline to delayed marriages and changing values.
“It is not all on married couples,“ he said, emphasising that modern lifestyles, career demands, and evolving beliefs are reshaping family dynamics.
Although high costs of living are often blamed, Chai suggests that the real issue lies in shifting priorities.
“A lot of modern parents keep trying to buy the most expensive items for their children when it is mostly a consumer trap,“ he said, adding that parental attention is far more valuable than material goods.
He also highlighted the influence of high education costs on fertility rates.
He noted that while the fertility decline affects all ethnic groups, the reasons for having children have evolved over time.
He said: “The reason why the poor have more children might be due to a lack of family planning, but the reality is that in agricultural societies, having more children means more hands to help and as insurance for old age.”
“Educated women have options and may not want to be tied down to childbearing or childrearing,“ he added, urging men to adapt to this reality.
To counter the fertility decline, he suggests that the government could offer cash incentives, improve parental leave policies, and enhance childcare services.
Encouraging positive family values and kinship could also play a vital role in stabilising the birth rate.
At present, Malaysia’s fertility rate is the third lowest in Southeast Asia, following Singapore and Thailand, with an average of 1.6 children.
