KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 21 — Malaysia has reported a significant decline in marriages last year with just 188,100 weddings recorded — a drop of 12.5 per cent compared to 215,022 in 2022

According to the Department of Statistics Malaysia, this fall is largely attributed to a 16.8 per cent decline in Muslim marriages, which fell from 168,467 (2022) to 140,176 (2023).

Among the states, Kelantan experienced the largest fall at 17.7 per cent, followed by Selangor (fall of 12.4 per cent) and Johor (fall of 8 per cent).

Despite the overall decrease in marriages, official data shows that interethnic marriages rose by 28 per cent — up from 14,028 (2022) to 17,956 (2023). Interethnic marriages now account for 6.2 per cent of all marriages here.

While marriages declined, divorces also saw a decrease, with 57,835 recorded in 2023, an 8.7 per cent drop from 63,338 in 2022.

Among Muslims, divorces fell by 3.9 per cent, from 46,138 in 2022 to 44,322 in 2023.

Here are some other facts in the data released by DOSM:

• On average, men who got divorced were aged 38, and women at 35.
• Most of the divorce cases involved those between 30 and 34.
• On average, men got married for the first time at 28, while women at 27.
• Most couples got married between 25 and 29.
• The oldest groom and bride in 2023 were 91 and 86 years old, respectively.

In terms of new marriages, Selangor led with 37,595, followed by Johor (24,142) and Perak (14,547).

Selangor also ranked first in divorces with 12,440 cases, followed by Johor (7,392), and Kedah (4,390).

The highest birth rate was recorded in Selangor with 90,535 births, followed by Johor (56,156) and Sabah (46,412).

Selangor also saw the highest death rate in 2023, with over 32,646 deaths, followed by Johor (24,705) and Perak (20,839).