Malaysia’s Demographic Shift Poses Big Challenge
By Ong Wooi Leng
July 2018 FEATURE
Low birth rates and an ageing population are shrinking the talent pool.People are having fewer babies today. There has been a steady decline in fertility rates worldwide since 1950. Live births have shrunk by half, from five babies per woman in 1950 to only 2.5 babies in 2015. Economists think this could imminently impact economic performances if no measures are taken to mitigate the demographic shift.In Malaysia, changes in the demographic landscape are rarely picked up by policymakers. The prolonged...
Ong Wooi Leng
heads the Socioeconomics and Statistics Programme at Penang Institute. Her work lies in labour market analysis and socio-economic development.
