Demographics of Penang

Demographics of Penang
Population1,740,405 (2020)[1]
Density1,659/km2[1]
Growth rate1.3% (2020)[1]
Birth rate11.3 births/1,000 population (2020)[2]
Death rate6.1 deaths/1,000 population (2020)[2]
Life expectancy74.2 years (2020)[2]
 • male72.0 years (2020)[2]
 • female76.7 years (2020)[2]
Fertility rate1.3 (2020)[2]
Age structure
0–14 years20.1%
15–64 years73.3%
65 and over6.6%
Nationality
Major ethnicChinese, Malay, Indians, Peranakans, Eurasians, Siamese
Language
OfficialMalay
SpokenEnglish, Malay, Penang Hokkien, Mandarin, Tamil

Penang is a diverse multiethnic and multicultural society. Residents of the state are colloquially known as Penangites or "Penang-lang".[3] Traditionally regarded as a Chinese-majority state, the Bumiputera population, which includes ethnic Malays, has reached parity with that of the Chinese in recent years.

As of 2020, the population of Penang stood at 1,740,405, growing by about 1.3% annually. 1,599,874, or 91.9%, were Malaysian citizens, while 140,531 were non-citizens. Ethnic Chinese, Malays and Indians cumulatively comprised nearly 91% of Penang's population.[1] Total fertility rate was 1.3 that year.[2]

Penang has the highest population density of all Malaysian states at 1,659/km2 (4,300/sq mi), as well as an urbanisation rate of 92.5%, the second highest after Selangor.[1][4] Seberang Perai, Malaysia's third largest city, was home to over 54% of Penang's population, while George Town contained nearly 46%. George Town serves as the core city of the George Town Conurbation, Malaysia's second largest metropolitan area, home to a population of over 2.84 million.[1]

Islam is the state's official religion, but Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity are cumulatively proscribed by over half of the state's population.[1][5] Within Peninsular Malaysia, Penang is the only state with a non-Muslim majority.[1] While Malay is the official language of Malaysia, English, Mandarin and Tamil are also widely used within Penang.[6] Penang Hokkien, a variant of the Southern Min group of languages, remains the unofficial lingua franca in the state.[7]

The state's diversified economy has made it one of the major recipients of interstate migrants within Malaysia.[8] Between 2015 and 2016, Penang achieved the highest migration effectiveness ratio among Malaysian states. For every 100 Malaysians that migrated into and out of Penang, the state's population increased by 58 persons.[9][10] The bulk of the interstate immigrants came from Perak, Selangor, Kedah, Johor and Kuala Lumpur.[10]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Key Findings of Population and Housing Census of Malaysia 2020" (pdf) (in Malay and English). Department of Statistics, Malaysia. ISBN 978-967-2000-85-3.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Vital Statistics Malaysia 2023". Department of Statistics Malaysia. Oct 2023. ISSN 0127-466X.
  3. ^ Opalyn Mok (19 August 2017). "Has Mandarin Replaced Hokkien in Penang?". Malay Mail. Retrieved 17 Dec 2023.
  4. ^ "Statistics Dept: Malaysia's Urbanisation Rate Tripled over Five Decades". Malay Mail. 23 Dec 2022. Retrieved 4 Dec 2023.
  5. ^ "Constitution of the State of Penang" (PDF). Penang state government.
  6. ^ Teresa Wai, See Ong (May 2022). "Building Relationships with Community Members: Lessons Learnt from Fieldwork in Penang, Malaysia". Griffith University.
  7. ^ Ooi Kok Hin, Julia Tan. "Penang Hokkien on Life Support". Penang Monthly. Archived from the original on 15 June 2017. Retrieved 2017-05-27.
  8. ^ "Migration report: Selangor, Penang Most Popular with Locals". Free Malaysia Today. 30 May 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  9. ^ Christopher Tan (24 June 2017). "Penang Ranks Second in Influx of New Residents". The Star.
  10. ^ a b "Migration Survey Report 2016". Department of Statistics Malaysia. 26 May 2017. ISSN 0127-8924.