The percentage of bumiputera in Malaysia's population has increased to 69.4 percent while the Chinese and Indian ethnicities make up less than 30 percent, according to the recently concluded National Census 2020 exercise.

It also showed that Malaysia's population has increased to 32.4 million people, compared to 28.3 million in the 2010 census of which 67.4 percent were bumiputeras while almost 32 percent were people of Chinese and Indian ethnicities.

"The number of Malaysia’s population is now at 32.4 million, with an average increase estimated at 1.7 percent in 10 years," said Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob in his speech during the 2020 census report launching ceremony this morning.

"According to the census, 52.3 percent of the population are male, while 47.4 percent are female.

"Based on ethnicities, the bumiputera make up the highest percentage with 69.4 percent, followed by the Chinese (23.2 percent), the Indians (6.7 percent), and others (0.7 percent)," Ismail Sabri said.

Local daily mStar reported that in 2011, the 2010 census showed that the bumiputera made up 67.4 percent of the 28.3 million population then, followed by Chinese with 24.6 percent and Indians 7.3 percent, while people of other unspecified ethnicities remained at 0.7 percent.

The 2020 census also showed that there are 2.6 million non-Malaysians in the country, which makes up 8.3 percent of the population.

Ismail Sabri said statistics also revealed that the percentage of the country's young population has decreased to 24 percent in 2020, compared to 27.6 percent in 2010.

He said there are 3.4 million senior citizens aged 60 and above, or 10.5 percent, compared to only 2.2 million in 2010 (eight percent of the population then).