KUALA LUMPUR: Life expectancy at birth for Malaysia’s population continues its upward trend, reaching an average of 75.3 years for babies born in 2025 according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia.
Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin revealed that baby girls born in 2025 are projected to live 4.8 years longer than boys, reaching 77.9 years compared to 73.1 years for males.
Selangor recorded the highest life expectancy at birth for both males and females during the 2023 to 2025 period, while Terengganu registered the lowest among all states.
Four states exceeded the national life expectancy level in 2025, comprising Selangor, Sarawak, and the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Labuan.
Samarahan in Sarawak achieved the highest district life expectancy across three consecutive years, reaching 80.9 years in 2025.
The lowest district life expectancy was recorded in Kecil Lojing, Kelantan at 63.6 years in 2023, followed by Kuala Penyu, Sabah at 66.5 years in 2024, and Kanowit, Sarawak at 66.5 years in 2025.
Overall, thirty out of 156 districts surpassed the national life expectancy average according to the latest statistics.
Kinabatangan in Sabah recorded the highest life expectancy for males at 79.8 years, while Telupid in the same state registered the highest for females at 82.8 years.
Life expectancy at birth increased by 1.3 years between 2023 and 2025, recovering from the decline experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic from 2020 to 2022.
The Chinese community maintained the highest life expectancy at birth in 2025 with 77.3 years, while Indians recorded the lowest at 71.8 years for the same year.
Selangor recorded the highest life expectancy at birth for both Malays and Chinese compared to other states in 2025.
Males reaching 15 and 60 years of age in 2025 are expected to live until 73.8 years and 78.8 years respectively.
Females of the same ages are projected to live until 78.6 years and 81.6 years respectively according to the latest projections.
The Department of Statistics Malaysia also announced that Malaysia will chair the 15th ASEAN Community Statistical System Committee to strengthen regional statistical cooperation.
The government has designated October 20 as National Statistics Day with the theme “Statistics is the Essence of Life”.
The Fourth World Statistics Day will be celebrated worldwide on the same date under the theme “Driving Change with Quality Statistics and Data for Everyone”. – Bernama