KOTA BHARU, Aug 17 — Late marriage, rising living costs, and delayed pregnancies are among factors contributing to Malaysia’s declining birth rate, said National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN) director-general Datuk Abdul Shukur Abdullah.
He added that the country’s total fertility rate (TFR) dropped from 2.1 children in 2010 to 1.6 children in 2022.
He said the current generation’s tendency to delay marriage also shortens the window for couples to have children, with the average marriage age for women now rising to around 27 compared with 24 about two decades ago, while for men it is around 30.
“Couples also tend to postpone pregnancy, whereas a woman’s fertile age spans from 15 to 49 years and starts to decline after age 35,” he told reporters after officiating a World Population Day Celebration at the Panji Farmers Management Institute here today.
Shukur added that Malaysia is set to become an aged nation by 2036, which requires a comprehensive support ecosystem to ensure healthy ageing and the formation of strong families can progress hand in hand.
