KOTA KINABALU, Jan. 4 -- The number of non-citizens in the City has risen to 125,400, or about one in five residents, according to the latest Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) figures, a joint statement said.

The statement by Api-Api assemblyman Loi Kok Liang, Luyang assemblyman Samuel Wong, Inanam assemblywoman Edna Majimbun and Kapayan assemblyman Chin Teck Ming cited Department of Statistics Malaysia data showing a 58.5 per cent increase from 79,100 in 2021 to 125,400 as of December 2025.

They said the steady climb from 79,100 in 2022 to 81,700 in 2023, followed by a sharp jump to

121,800 in 2024, was at odds with the state government's stated policy to reduce non-citizen numbers since 2020.

The lawmakers noted that Kota Kin...