A baby born in Malaysia in 2026 is expected to live an average of 75.5 years, up from 75.2 years in 2025 and 74.9 years in 2024, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).
The latest figures show that life expectancy at birth continued to improve for both males and females over the three-year period.
A baby boy born in 2026 is expected to live 73.2 years, compared with 73.0 years in 2025 and 72.6 years in 2024.
For baby girls, life expectancy increased to 78.1 years in 2026, from 77.8 years in 2025 and 77.5 years in 2024.
The data also showed that women continue to have a longer expected lifespan than men.
For Malaysians who reach the age of 15 in 2026, males are expected to live another 59.0 years, while females are expected to live a further 63.7 years.
At age 60, males are expected to live another 18.9 years, compared with 21.7 years for females. At age 65, remaining life expectancy stood at 15.4 years for males and 17.7 years for females.
By major ethnic group, DOSM said the Chinese population continued to record the highest life expectancy at birth between 2024 and 2026.
At the state level, Selangor recorded the highest life expectancy at birth throughout the three-year period, while Terengganu recorded the lowest.
For 2026, Selangor also recorded the highest life expectancy at birth among both the Malay and Chinese populations compared with other states.
At the administrative district level, Samarahan in Sarawak recorded the highest life expectancy at birth for three consecutive years.
Life expectancy in Samarahan increased from 80.3 years in 2024 to 80.6 years in 2025 and 80.9 years in 2026.
In contrast, Kecil Lojing in Kelantan recorded the lowest life expectancy at birth over the same period, at 65.3 years in 2024, 66.2 years in 2025 and 65.8 years in 2026.
The figures underline sizeable differences in longevity across gender, ethnic groups, states and administrative districts despite the broader improvement in Malaysia’s overall life expectancy.
