Malaysia

• flooding;
• landslides;
• forest fires

noun:

Malaysian(s)

adjective:

Malaysian

total:

32.2 years (2025 est.)

male:

31.7 years

female:

31.9 years

at birth:

1.07 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.06 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.94 male(s)/female

total population:

1.05 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

total:

6.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)

male:

6.8 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

6 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

76.6 years (2024 est.)

male:

75 years

female:

78.4 years

total:

0.64 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer:

0.48 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine:

0.04 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits:

0.11 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols:

0.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total:

21.5% (2025 est.)

male:

41.8% (2025 est.)

female:

0.6% (2025 est.)

• air pollution from industrial and vehicular emissions;
• water pollution from raw sewage;
• deforestation;
• smoke/haze from Indonesian forest fires;
• endangered species;
• coastal reclamation damaging mangroves and turtle nesting sites

urban population:

78.7% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

1.87% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

energy:

818.9 kt (2022-2024 est.)

agriculture:

182.2 kt (2019-2021 est.)

waste:

847.9 kt (2019-2021 est.)

other:

15.3 kt (2019-2021 est.)

municipal solid waste generated annually:

12.983 million tons (2024 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled:

22.1% (2022 est.)

municipal:

1.342 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

industrial:

1.641 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

agricultural:

2.505 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

total global geoparks and regional networks:

2

global geoparks and regional networks:

Kinabalu; Langkawi (2023)

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Malaysia

local long form:

none

local short form:

Malaysia

former:

British Malaya, Malayan Union, Federation of Malaya

etymology:

• devised in the early 19th century by British geographers;
• the suffix - sia was added to the name of the Malay people to form a classical-style name;
• the name Malay may come from the Tamil word malai , meaning "mountain"

name:

Kuala Lumpur

geographic coordinates:

3 10 N, 101 42 E

time difference:

UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology:

• the name means "muddy river junction," referring to the city's location on the confluence of the Kelang and Gombak rivers;
• it comes from the Malay words kuala (river junction or estuary) and lumpur (mud)

note: nearby Putrajaya is referred to as a federal government administrative center but not as the capital; the legislature meets in Kuala Lumpur

• 13 states ( negeri-negeri , singular - negeri );
• Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Pulau Pinang, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor, Terengganu;
• and 1 federal territory (Wilayah Persekutuan) with 3 components, Kuala Lumpur, Labuan, and Putrajaya

• mixed system of English common law, Islamic law (sharia), and customary law;
• the Federal Court can review legislative acts at the request of the supreme head of the federation

history:

previous 1948; latest drafted 21 February 1957, effective 27 August 1957

amendment process:

• proposed as a bill by Parliament;
• passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote by the Parliament membership in the bill’s second and third readings;
• a number of constitutional sections are excluded from amendment or repeal

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

at least one parent must be a citizen of Malaysia

dual citizenship recognized:

no

residency requirement for naturalization:

10 out 12 years preceding application

chief of state:

King Sultan IBRAHIM ibni al-Marhum Sultan Iskandar (since 31 January 2024)

head of government:

Prime Minister ANWAR Ibrahim (since 24 November 2022)

cabinet:

Cabinet appointed by the prime minister from among members of Parliament with the consent of the king

election/appointment process:

• king elected by and from the hereditary rulers of 9 states for a 5-year term;
• election is on a rotational basis among rulers of the 9 states;
• prime minister designated from among members of the House of Representatives;
• following legislative elections, the leader who has support of the majority of members in the House becomes prime minister

most recent election date:

24 October 2023

expected date of next election:

October 2028, with inauguration in January 2029

note: the position of the king is primarily ceremonial, but he is the final arbiter on the appointment of the prime minister

legislature name:

Parliament (Parlimen)

legislative structure:

bicameral

chamber name:

House of Representatives (Dewan Rakyat)

number of seats:

223 (all directly elected)

electoral system:

plurality/majority

scope of elections:

full renewal

term in office:

5 years

most recent election date:

11/19/2022

parties elected and seats per party:

• Pakatan Harapan (PH) (76);
• National Alliance (PN) (52);
• National Front (BN) (30);
• Sarawak Parties Alliance (GPS) (23);
• Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) (22);
• Other (19)

percentage of women in chamber:

13.5%

expected date of next election:

November 2027

chamber name:

Senate (Dewan Negara)

number of seats:

70 (26 indirectly elected; 44 appointed)

percentage of women in chamber:

16.1%

highest court(s):

Federal Court (consists of the chief justice, president of the Court of Appeal, chief justice of the High Court of Malaya, chief judge of the High Court of Sabah and Sarawak, 8 judges, and 1 "additional" judge)

judge selection and term of office:

• Federal Court justices appointed by the monarch on advice of the prime minister;
• judges serve until mandatory retirement at age 66 with the possibility of a single 6-month extension

subordinate courts:

• Court of Appeal;
• High Court;
• Sessions Court;
• Magistrates' Court

note: Malaysia has a dual judicial hierarchy of civil and religious (sharia) courts

chief of mission:

Ambassador Tan Sri Muhammad SHAHRUL Ikram bin Yaakob (since 24 July 2025)

chancery:

3516 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 572-9700

FAX:

[1] (202) 572-9882

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://www.kln.gov.my/web/usa_washington/home

consulate(s) general:

Los Angeles, New York

chief of mission:

Ambassador Edgard D. KAGAN (since 20 March 2024)

embassy:

376 Jalan Tun Razak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur

mailing address:

4210 Kuala Lumpur, Washington DC 20521-4210

telephone:

[60] (3) 2168-5000

FAX:

[60] (3) 2142-2207

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://my.usembassy.gov/

description:

14 equal horizontal stripes of red alternating with white; a dark blue rectangle in the upper-left corner has a yellow crescent and a 14-pointed yellow star

meaning:

• the flag is often called Jalur Gemilang (Stripes of Glory);
• the 14 stripes stand for the equal status of the 13 member states and the federal government;
• the points on the star represent the unity among these entities;
• the crescent is a traditional symbol of Islam;
• blue symbolizes the unity of the Malay people, and yellow is the royal color

note: the design is based on the US flag

title:

"Negaraku" (My Country)

lyrics/music:

collective, led by Tunku ABDUL RAHMAN/Pierre Jean DE BERANGER

history:

adopted 1957; full version only performed in the king's presence, the shorter version performed for the queen and lesser officials

total World Heritage Sites:

6 (4 cultural, 2 natural)

selected World Heritage Site locales:

• Gunung Mulu National Park (n);
• Kinabalu Park (n);
• Melaka and George Town, Historic Cities of the Straits of Melaka (c);
• Archaeological Heritage of the Lenggong Valley (c);
• The Archaeological Heritage of Niah National Park’s Caves Complex (c);
• Forest Research Institute Malaysia Forest Park Selangor (c)

• upper middle-income Southeast Asian economy;
• implementing key anticorruption policies;
• major electronics, oil, and chemicals exporter;
• trade sector employs over 40% of jobs;
• key economic equity initiative;
• high labor productivity

• Peninsular Malaysia - rubber and oil palm processing and manufacturing, petroleum and natural gas, light manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, medical technology, electronics and semiconductors, timber processing;
• Sabah - logging, petroleum and natural gas production;
• Sarawak - agriculture processing, petroleum and natural gas production, logging

total:

12.3% (2024 est.)

male:

11.3% (2024 est.)

female:

13.8% (2024 est.)

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

on food:

26.4% of household expenditures (2023 est.)

on alcohol and tobacco:

1.6% of household expenditures (2023 est.)

lowest 10%:

2.3% (2021 est.)

highest 10%:

30.9% (2021 est.)

note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

production:

4.476 million metric tons (2023 est.)

consumption:

35.741 million metric tons (2023 est.)

exports:

462,000 metric tons (2023 est.)

imports:

31.706 million metric tons (2023 est.)

proven reserves:

226 million metric tons (2023 est.)

total petroleum production:

582,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

refined petroleum consumption:

672,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

crude oil estimated reserves:

3.6 billion barrels (2021 est.)

production:

74.32 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

consumption:

47.112 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

exports:

37.451 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

imports:

3.359 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

proven reserves:

1.189 trillion cubic meters (2021 est.)

• state-owned TV broadcaster operates 2 TV networks with relays;
• the leading private commercial media group operates 4 TV stations with numerous relays;
• satellite TV subscription service is available;
• state-owned radio broadcaster operates multiple national networks, as well as regional and local stations;
• many private commercial radio broadcasters and some subscription satellite radio services are available;
• about 55 radio stations overall (2019)

total:

1,851 km (2014)

standard gauge:

59 km (2014) 1.435-m gauge (59 km electrified)

narrow gauge:

1,792 km (2014) 1.000-m gauge (339 km electrified)

total ports:

35 (2024)

large:

3

medium:

4

small:

10

very small:

18

ports with oil terminals:

24

key ports:

Johor, Kota Kinabalu, Port Dickson, Port Klang, Pulau Pinang, Tanjung Pelepas, Tapis Marine Terminal A

• the military fields a diverse array of mostly older but growing quantities of more modern weapons and equipment;
• its inventory originates from a variety of suppliers across Europe, Asia, and the US;
• Malaysia has a domestic defense industry that has some co-production agreements with countries such as France, Germany, and Türkiye in areas such as armored vehicles and naval vessels (2025)

• 17 years 6 months of age for voluntary military service for men and women (younger with parental consent and proof of age);
• mandatory retirement age 60;
• no conscription (2025)

• has a national space policy and program focused on the areas of remote sensing (RS), navigational services, and telecommunications to support domestic economic sectors;
• seeks to promote a domestic space industry;
• acquires, manufactures, and operates satellites;
• conducts research in RS capabilities and space sciences such as astronomy, atmospherics, space environment, and weather;
• has an astronaut training exchange program with Russia and works with a variety of foreign space agencies and industries, including those of the ESA, individual ESA member states, India, Japan, Russia, South Korea, the UK, and the US (2025)

• 1996 - first of a series of domestically produced commercial communications satellites (MEASAT) launched on European rocket
• 2000 - first multipurpose (remote sensing/RS, communications, scientific) microsatellite (TiungSat-1) produced with technology and training from the UK and launched by Russia
• 2007 - first Malaysian astronaut (trained in Russia) to space on International Space Station
• 2009 - first RS satellite (RazakSat) built with assistance from South Korea and launched by US
• 2011 - completed construction of a satellite assembly, integration, and testing facility
• 2025 - first commercial high-resolution RS satellite (UzmaSat-1) launched by US; signed US-led Artemis Accords

refugees:

191,343 (2024 est.)

stateless persons:

120,857 (2024 est.)