Kuala Lumpur, Feb 9 (IANS): Malaysia's population in the fourth quarter of 2022 was estimated at 33 million, up 1.3 per cent as compared to 32.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2021, official data revealed on Thursday.

The total population comprised 30.4 million citizens, which accounts for 92 per cent, and 2.6 million, or 8 per cent non-citizens, the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) said in a statement.

According to the DOSM, the rise in the total population was contributed by the increase in the non-citizen population, namely foreign workers and students in Malaysia, reports Xinhua news agency.

Males population increased from 17.1 million to 17.4 million as compared to the fourth quarter of 2021, while females increased from 15.5 million to 15.6 million in the same period.

The number of live births recorded a decrease of 2.1 per cent to 109,842 births as compared to 112,205 births in the fourth quarter of 2021.

A total of 48,780 deaths was recorded in the fourth quarter of 2022, which decreased by 10.2 per cent compared to 54,316 deaths in the fourth quarter of 2021.

The deaths due to Covid-19 decreased in the fourth quarter of 2022 from 4,738 deaths in the fourth quarter of 2021 to 492 deaths.

The deaths accounted for 1 per cent of the total number of deaths in the fourth quarter of 2022.