Latest DOSM data reveals a nation quietly running out of children — and ideas
Photo credit: Derek Zhang on Playground Professionals FB
By Dr Rahim Said
Every year, the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) reminds us of something we’d rather ignore. This time, it’s children — those little people we like to call “the nation’s future” while funds for school fields and playgrounds may be dwindling.
According to the latest Children Statistics, Malaysia, there are 9.19 million children under 18 — just 28% of the population.
In other words, over 70% of Malaysians are adults pretending to be surprised that the country is ageing before it becomes rich. But who can blame anyone for having fewer kids when raising one costs as much as a used Myvi and earns even less appreciation?
The Geography of Fertility (and Family Planning)
Putrajaya has the highest proportion of children — 41.6%. Clearly, government jobs still come with family benefits. Kelantan and Terengganu follow closely, showing that faith and fertility often go hand in hand.
Penang, however, has the lowest share at 23.4%. Urban Malaysians are discovering that child-rearing doesn’t fit neatly into high-rise living or minimalist lifestyles. Our demographic pyramid is turning into a diamond — shiny on top, hollow in the middle, and expensive all over.
Vaccines and Vanishing Trust
The real worry? Immunisation rates are dropping. Coverage for polio, DTP, HIB and hepatitis B has all declined. Only BCG remains high — probably because it’s given at birth before parents have time to consult TikTok doctors.
Malaysia once prided itself on public health. Now, while influencers give parenting advice, vaccination rates fall.
Yet we still talk about artificial intelligence while our real intelligence — and herd immunity — quietly erodes.
Education: Strong Start, Weak Finish
DOSM reports that 90.9% of children move from primary to lower secondary school — impressive until you realise only 2.8% make it to post-secondary.
Somewhere between Form 5 and college, our youth disappear — into gig work, family obligations or the national pastime of tunggu nasib dulu.
We love boasting about “empowering youth,” but most can’t afford further studies without mortgaging their parents’ dignity. The government keeps building shiny universities, but apparently not students who can afford to attend them.
Child Protection: Rhetoric vs. Reality
The report shows 6,144 children officially in need of care and protection, up nearly 5% — two-thirds of them girls. So much for “Keluarga Malaysia.”
Behind every slogan, overworked social workers fight uphill battles armed with more forms than funds.
Even childhood, it seems, has a gender gap.
The Grim Irony
Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin presented the data politely, but the message is damning. Malaysia’s children are fewer, less vaccinated, less educated and more vulnerable — yet somehow expected to carry the nation forward.
We love to say “children are our future,” but treat them as a line item in the budget. We invest more in highways than in childhood. We debate subsidies for electricity while clinics run out of vaccines. And then we wonder why the best and brightest migrate, leaving only their IC numbers behind.
Growing Old Before Growing Up
What does it mean when only 28% of the population are children? It means the conveyor belt of the future is slowing down. Birth rates are falling, young people are disillusioned, and the system meant to protect them is busy producing hashtags instead of solutions.
Soon, we’ll be a nation of retirees reminiscing about the days when children filled playgrounds instead of data charts.
So yes, Malaysia is getting older — but not wiser. We’ve mastered the art of producing statistics about children while producing fewer children themselves.
At this rate, DOSM may soon save on printing costs. There’ll be no need for a Children Statistics Report — because we’re not raising children anymore. We’re just raising numbers. And one day, even the numbers will stop growing.