Life expectancy at birth in Malaysia is estimated at 75.5 years in 2026, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia’s (DOSM) Abridged Life Tables, Malaysia, 2024–2026.
For sex-specific figure, DOSM estimated life expectancy at birth at 78.1 years for females and 73.2 years for males, a difference of 4.9 years.
A life-expectancy figure such as 75.5 years is a population-level estimate calculated from age-specific mortality rates observed during a specified period. It does not mean that most people will die at exactly 75.5 years, nor that every newborn has a personal lifespan of 75.5 years.
People die at different ages such as some during infancy or childhood, some during adolescence or early adulthood, some in middle age, and others in older age. Many may live into their 70s or 80s, while some survive into their 90s or beyond.
“Actual lifespan can vary considerably, and mortality rates may change because of improvements or deterioration in healthcare, living conditions, disease patterns, medical technology and public-health risks”
A life table applies the mortality risk associated with each age to a hypothetical population and calculates the average number of years that population would live if those mortality rates continued throughout its lifetime.
Therefore, 75.5 years is an aggregate statistical measure, not a prediction of when any particular person will die. The estimate describes the average lifespan that would result if those mortality conditions continued over a person’s lifetime.
Actual lifespan can vary considerably, and mortality rates may change because of improvements or deterioration in healthcare, living conditions, disease patterns, medical technology and public-health risks.
Women continue to have higher life expectancy than men
The female estimate of 78.1 years is 4.9 years higher than the male estimate of 73.2 years.
This difference reflects population-level mortality patterns and does not mean that every woman will outlive every man.
Individual outcomes are influenced by factors including chronic disease, smoking, alcohol use, injury risk, occupation, socioeconomic circumstances and access to healthcare.
Increase follows the pandemic mortality period
DOSM reported that life expectancy at birth increased by 1.5 years between 2023 and 2026.
The department attributed the increase to fewer deaths during 2023–2026 than during 2020–2022, when excess mortality occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The latest rise should therefore be interpreted partly as a recovery from unusually high pandemic mortality.
It does not necessarily indicate a sudden permanent acceleration in Malaysians’ underlying longevity, and it does not mean that every age group or population experienced the same change.
Significant differences between states
DOSM reported the highest state-level life expectancy in Selangor and the lowest in Terengganu.
In 2026, the state and federal-territory estimates above the national figure were:
- Selangor: 78.2 years
- W.P. Kuala Lumpur: 77.3 years
- W.P. Labuan: 77.0 years
These differences should not be interpreted as showing that residence alone determines how long a person will live.
State-level estimates can be affected by population age structure, income, education, urbanisation, occupation, migration, healthcare access and other factors.
Any district-level figures should also be interpreted cautiously and verified against the relevant DOSM tables, particularly where populations are small and estimates may be less stable.
Longer life does not necessarily mean healthier life
Life expectancy measures the expected length of life, not the number of years lived without illness or disability.
A rise in life expectancy therefore does not by itself show whether Malaysians are spending more years in good health. Healthy life expectancy, disability-free life expectancy and cause-specific mortality statistics provide additional information.
The 2026 figure should be accurately interpreted as the Malaysia’s life table estimates life expectancy at birth at 75.5 years under the mortality conditions represented by the 2024–2026 data. It is an average population measure, not a prediction of the age at which an individual baby will die. The message should be clearly communicated to the public.
