Birth rates among Chinese falling everywhere, not just China, Malaysian Chinese official says

Malaysian Chinese Association President Dr Wee Ka Siong said a ‘trend’ in many parts of the world was ‘causing the Chinese population to be declining’

He was responding to an MP’s concerns about data showing just 40,000 Malaysian-Chinese were born in 2022, and the effect of this on school enrolment

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A Chinese couple pictured with their newborn baby at a hospital in Heshan, south China’s Guangdong province, on February 10, the first day of the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 2:02pm, 20 Feb 2024

Chinese communities worldwide are facing a decline in their birth rate, including in Malaysia, according to the president of the Malaysian Chinese Association.

“The Chinese in many parts of the world, they don’t have many kids,” Dr Wee Ka Siong told reporters after launching the Dato’ Teng Gaik Kwan Centre for Early Childhood Education in Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management of Technology on Monday.

“This is the trend that is causing the Chinese population to be declining,” he said, adding that the birth rate for ethnic Malays is also dropping. “This is a very personal [choice].”

Wee Ka Siong (centre, left) pictured with Malaysia’s then-prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob (right) in June 2022. Wee has served as president of the Malaysian Chinese Association since 2018 and was Malaysian transport minister from August 2021 to November 2022. Photo: Bloomberg

Wee said that declining birth rates were caused by the challenges young couples face when caring for their children.

This includes ensuring they can afford to send their children for a tertiary education, he said, adding that when Chinese couples calculate the expenses, they tend not to have more children.