The Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) has released the Bumiputera Statistics Publication 2025, showing a detailed overview of social and economic indicators from 2016 to 2025 at both national and state levels.
The report highlights key trends in population growth, labour force participation, health patterns and property market activity among the Bumiputera community.
The Bumiputera population grew by 0.9%, rising to 21.8 million in 2025. Male numbers continued to surpass females, with 11.0 million males compared to 10.8 million females, resulting in a sex ratio of 102 males for every 100 females.
The total fertility rate continued its long-term decline, dropping to 1.6 children per woman aged 15–49 in 2024 below the replacement level of 2.1. Meanwhile, life expectancy at birth in 2025 improved to 72.1 years for males and 77.0 years for females, reflecting continued health advancements.
Pneumonia Remains the Leading Cause of Death
Pneumonia remained the leading medically certified cause of death among Bumiputera Malaysians in 2023, with 11,209 cases (14.9%). This was closely followed by:
- Ischaemic heart diseases: 11,181 cases (14.9%)
- Cerebrovascular diseases: 5,823 cases (7.7%)
- Transport accidents: 3,050 cases (4.1%)
- Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 1,601 cases (2.1%)
- Diabetes mellitus: 1,407 cases (1.9%)
Labour Force
The Bumiputera labour force remained resilient, expanding by 1.4% to reach 9.9 million people in 2024. This included 6.0 million males and 3.9 million females.
Labour force participation stood at 67.4%, with strong male participation at 80.8%, while female participation increased to 53.8%, reflecting steady improvements in women’s involvement in the workforce.
Unemployment among Bumiputera workers continued to decline, falling to 3.4%, broken down as:
- Male unemployment: 3.3%
- Female unemployment: 3.5%
Graduate Workforce
The number of Bumiputera graduates dropped by 2.0% to 3.7 million in 2024, comprising 1.6 million males and 2.1 million females. Despite the decrease, workforce engagement remained strong.
The graduates’ labour force participation rate stood at 86.0% (89.5% for males, 83.3% for females), demonstrating continued demand for highly skilled workers. Graduate unemployment also declined to 3.4%, with males at 3.2% and females at 3.6%.
Property Market
The Bumiputera property market registered notable expansion in 2024.
Residential Properties
- 128,747 transactions
- Total value: RM37.7 billion
Commercial Properties
- 5,161 transactions
- Total value: RM2.8 billion
The complete Bumiputera Statistics Publication 2025 is available for download via eStatistik on the DOSM portal at www.dosm.gov.my.
Shahriena Shukri is a journalist covering business and economic news in Malaysia, providing insights on market trends, corporate developments, and financial policies. More about Shahriena Shukri.
