Malaysia's average life expectancy reaches 75.5 years, women outlive men by nearly five years

According to the Statistics Department's Abridged Life Tables for 2024-2026, Malaysia's overall life expectancy increased to 75.5 years in 2026, marking a 1.5-year rise since 2023. Girls born this year are expected to live to 78.1 years compared with 73.2 years for boys. The state of Selangor leads with 78.2 years, followed by Kuala Lumpur at 77.3 and Labuan at 77.0, while Terengganu sits at the bottom with 72.8 years.

At the district level, Samarahan in Sarawak posted the highest figure at 80.9 years, and Kecil Lojing in Kelantan the lowest at 65.8 years. Ethnic breakdowns show Chinese males and females reaching 75.1 and 80.8 years respectively, whereas Indian males and females reach 68.8 and 75.8 years. The improvement reflects fewer deaths than during the pandemic-hit 2020-2022 period.