Malaysians expected to live longer, women to outlive men

Malaysians are living longer, with life expectancy rising to 75.5 years in 2026, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).

Women continue to have a longer projected lifespan than men. A girl born this year is expected to live to 78.1 years, while a boy is projected to reach 73.2 years, based on DOSM’s Abridged Life Tables, Malaysia, 2024-2026.

Selangor recorded the highest life expectancy among the states and federal territories at 78.2 years, up from 77.9 years last year and 77.6 years in 2024.

Kuala Lumpur followed at 77.3 years and Labuan at 77.0 years. They were the only three jurisdictions to record figures above the national average.

Terengganu had the lowest life expectancy among the states at 72.8 years, although this was an improvement from 72.6 years in 2025 and 72.0 years in 2024.

The differences are wider when the figures are broken down by administrative district.

Samarahan in Sarawak continued to record the country’s highest life expectancy, at 80.9 years in 2026. It was the third consecutive year the district topped the list, after recording 80.3 years in 2024 and 80.6 years in 2025.

Kecil Lojing in Kelantan was at the other end, with a life expectancy of 65.8 years.

DOSM said 32 of the 162 administrative districts recorded life expectancy above the national average.

Among men, Kalabakan in Sabah recorded the highest figure at 79.8 years, while Samarahan had the highest among women at 82.8 years.

Life expectancy at birth has increased by 1.5 years since 2023. DOSM said the increase reflected fewer deaths compared with the 2020-2022 period, when excess deaths were recorded during the Covid-19 pandemic.

There were also differences between ethnic groups.

Chinese recorded the highest life expectancy, with men expected to live to 75.1 years and women to 80.8 years. Indians recorded the lowest figures, at 68.8 years for men and 75.8 years for women.

For those who reach 60, men can expect to live another 18.9 years, giving them a projected lifespan of 78.9 years. Women aged 60 are expected to live another 21.7 years, reaching 81.7 years. – September 30, 2026