Malaysians can expect to live 75.5 years, women nearly 5yrs longer than men
KUALA LUMPUR: Life expectancy in Malaysia has risen to 75.5 years this year with women expected to live nearly five years longer than men, according to the Statistics Department.
Malaysia's life expectancy has climbed to 75.5 years for the year 2026, with women projected to live nearly five years longer than men, according to the country's Statistics Department. A newborn girl in Malaysia is now expected to reach 78.1 years old, while a newborn boy will likely live to 73.2 years. Among the states, Selangor leads with a life expectancy of 78.2 years, followed by Kuala Lumpur at 77.3 years and Labuan at 77.0 years.
Terengganu, however, has the lowest life expectancy at 72.8 years, showing improvement from 72.6 years in 2025 and 72.0 years in 2024. Samarahan in Sarawak recorded the highest life expectancy among districts for the third year in a row, increasing from 80.3 years to 80.9 years. At the other end, Kecil Lojing in Kelantan had the lowest life expectancy at 65.8 years in 2026.
Across all districts, 32 experienced a life expectancy above the national average. For male Malaysians, Kalabakan in Sabah had the highest life expectancy at 79.8 years, while Samarahan in Sarawak led for females with 82.8 years. Compared to 2023, life expectancy at birth in 2026 has risen by 1.5 years, likely due to fewer deaths post-Covid-19 pandemic.
By ethnicity, Chinese males and females have the highest life expectancies at 75.1 years and 80.8 years, respectively, while Indians have the lowest life expectancies at 68.8 years and 75.8 years, respectively. Men aged 60 in 2026 can expect to live an additional 18.9 years, reaching 78.9 years, while women aged 60 are projected to live 21.7 more years, reaching 81.7 years.
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