East Asia & Pacific · MY
Generation Alpha & Beta
in Malaysia
How many of each cohort Malaysia has, how fast the next one is arriving, and what the fertility rate, median age and school system mean for both.
Malaysia has approximately 8 million Generation Alpha people (born 2010–2024), about 22.9% of its population, and roughly 803,729 Generation Beta children born since 2025. Its fertility rate is 1.7 and its child population is shrinking, projected -8% by 2040.
Births since 1 January 2025 at Malaysia's own rate, less infant mortality. At 1,233 births a day it climbs steadily rather than visibly.
Born 2010–2024 — 22.9% of the population, aged 2–16 this year.
About 1,233 births a day, all of them Generation Beta.
Smaller than the Alpha cohort of 8 million.
Size of the Generation Alpha cohort
Share of the population under 15
Total fertility rate
Child population to 2040 (−8%)
Malaysia against the world average
Key dates for Malaysia
6 compulsory years from age 6.
Born on 1 January 2025, they reach Malaysia's starting age of 6.
Under-15s change by −8% against today.
Eighteen years after the cohort opened.
The cohort closes on 31 December 2039; its youngest members enter school here.
School dates follow Malaysia's own starting age of 6 and 6 compulsory years, so they differ from the global figures on our Generation Beta page.
Social media age law in Malaysia
In force: Under-16s may use social media only through a parent's or guardian's account; platforms must verify age (minimum age 16). In force since 1 June 2026.
Source: Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, checked 16 October 2026. Every country's rule: social media age laws by country.
Every figure on this page
Malaysia in 20 numbers
| Indicator | Malaysia | World average | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 35.0 million | — | #45 of 194 |
| Generation Alpha (born 2010–2024) | 8 million | — | #50 of 194 |
| Gen Alpha share of population | 22.9% | — | #97 of 194 |
| Projected Gen Beta births 2025–39 | 7 million | — | #54 of 194 |
| Births per year | 450,000 | — | #57 of 194 |
| Births per day | 1,233 | — | #57 of 194 |
| Under-15 share of population | 23% | 25% | #99 of 194 |
| Total fertility rate | 1.7 | 2.2 | #107 of 194 |
| Median age | 31 years | 31 years | #99 of 194 |
| Life expectancy at birth | 76 years | 73 years | #84 of 194 |
| Urban population | 78% | 58% | #57 of 194 |
| Internet use | 97% | 68% | #15 of 192 |
| Secondary school completion | 80% | 60% | #99 of 189 |
| School starting age | age 6 | — | #30 of 194 |
| Compulsory years of schooling | 6 years | — | #178 of 194 |
| Daily screen time, ages 8–12 | 3.6 hours | — | #22 of 42 |
| Cost of raising a child to 18 | $60k | — | #21 of 61 |
| Under-15 population change to 2040 | −8% | — | #101 of 194 |
| Youth dependency ratio | 34 per 100 adults | — | #98 of 194 |
| Mobile connections per 100 people | 140 | — | #34 of 194 |
Rank is out of the 194 countries profiled here and always runs highest first — so #1 on median age is the oldest country, not the youngest. World averages are population-weighted global figures and are shown only where a comparable one exists. Sources: UN World Population Prospects, World Bank Open Data, UNESCO and ITU, via our sources page.
1950 to 2023, with the UN projection to 2030
Malaysia birth rate and fertility rate by year
About 436,000 babies were born in Malaysia in 2023, and women had 1.55 children on average. Since 1950, births peaked in 1996 at about 543,600. Fertility first fell below the replacement level of 2.1 in 2013. Annual births are 16% lower than in 2000.
Fertility rate (children per woman)
Births per year
Thousands of births. Dashed: UN medium-variant projection.
| Year | Births | Fertility rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 272,700 | 6.43 |
| 1960 | 341,200 | 6.41 |
| 1970 | 343,200 | 5.04 |
| 1980 | 398,500 | 4.04 |
| 1990 | 467,600 | 3.30 |
| 2000 | 519,100 | 2.94 |
| 2010 | 484,500 | 2.14 |
| 2015 | 510,200 | 2.01 |
| 2020 | 453,900 | 1.68 |
| 2021 | 424,600 | 1.55 |
| 2022 | 430,000 | 1.55 |
| 2023 | 436,000 | 1.55 |
| 2025 projected | 439,700 | 1.53 |
| 2030 projected | 448,900 | 1.51 |
UN World Population Prospects 2024, republished by Our World in Data. Years to 2023 are UN estimates, which can differ from a country's own registered counts; later years are the UN medium-variant projection. The fertility figure at the top of this page (1.7) comes from an earlier UN revision; the 2024 revision puts 2025 at 1.53. Every country is ranked on fertility rate by country.
Regional peers
Elsewhere in East Asia & Pacific
China
230 million Generation Alpha
Indonesia
68 million Generation Alpha
Japan
14 million Generation Alpha
Philippines
32 million Generation Alpha
Vietnam
23 million Generation Alpha
Thailand
11 million Generation Alpha
Myanmar
13 million Generation Alpha
South Korea
6 million Generation Alpha
Run the numbers yourself
Tools that use this data
Gen Beta by Country Forecast
Where the 2.1 billion Betas will be born, and which countries shrink instead.
Under-15 Share by Country
The countries where Alpha and Beta make up the largest share of the population.
Global Child Population Table
Where the world's children are, ranked by region, with the direction each one is…
Median Age Calculator
What a country's median age implies about its Alpha and Beta share, its dependency…
School-Age Population Forecast
How many children will be of school age in any year, globally or nationally.
Where a tool takes a number it opens prefilled with Malaysia's own figure rather than the world one, and every input stays editable. The rest are the same ranked tables for every country.
Frequently asked about Malaysia
How many Gen Alpha are there in Malaysia?
Approximately 8 million people born between 2010 and 2024 live in Malaysia, about 22.9% of the population.
How many Gen Beta children are there in Malaysia?
Roughly 803,729 children have been born in Malaysia since 1 January 2025, growing by about 51 every hour.
What is the fertility rate in Malaysia?
Malaysia has a total fertility rate of 1.7 children per woman, against a replacement level of 2.1 and a world average of about 2.2.
At what age do children start school in Malaysia?
Compulsory schooling begins at age 6 in Malaysia, and runs for 6 years.
Is the child population in Malaysia growing or shrinking?
It is shrinking. The under-15 population is projected to change by -8% between now and 2040.
How many babies are born in Malaysia each year?
About 436,000 in 2023, according to UN estimates, down from a peak of about 543,600 in 1996 (the highest since 1950). The UN projects about 448,900 in 2030.
How has the fertility rate in Malaysia changed over time?
It was 6.43 children per woman in 1950 and 1.55 in 2023. It first fell below the replacement level of 2.1 in 2013.
AlphaBetaMinds (2026). Generation Alpha and Generation Beta in Malaysia. Retrieved from https://alphabetaminds.com/countries/malaysia
The printed sheet keeps the headline numbers, the world comparison, the key dates, the full indicator table and this citation, and drops the navigation, the tools and the FAQ. It fits a page or two and needs no login.
Free to reproduce, commercially or not, with a credit and a link. Figures are estimates for 2025–2026 and are updated when the underlying sources are.