She said that while there have been more pregnancies among young Malaysians, it was not enough to boost the population, in view of the sharp decline in the total fertility rate, with Malaysia set to become an ageing nation by 2030.

“The birth rate gap is still too wide,” she said. “Therefore, we need to promote various programmes for couples to marry and have offspring,” the Borneo Post quoted her as saying.

More programmes are being held to encourage Malaysians (especially the younger generation) to get married and be prepared to have more children, she said.

Malaysia’s total fertility rate (the number of children borne by a woman in her lifetime) stood at 1.6 children for every woman as of 2022.

Nancy said men also “contribute to this issue”. She urged men to take the matter seriously “and cooperate well with their partners in their effort to have children.”

Malaysia’s total fertility rate (the number of children borne by a woman in her lifetime) declined sharply from 4.9 children for every woman in 1970 to 1.6 children in 2022.

The statistics department said the decline was closely tied to more couples opting to marry at an older age; the average age of couples getting married rose from 24.7 years in 1990 to 28.9 in 2022.

This affected fertility levels with women choosing to marry later to further their education or focus on their career first, it added.