KUALA LUMPUR, May 15 -- Malaysia's birth rate has plunged to its lowest level on record, with just 93,500 babies born in the first quarter of 2025 - an 11.5 per cent drop compared to the same period last year.

Data from the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) released yesterday showed declining birth numbers, except in three states: Terengganu, Kelantan and Pahang.

The three east coast states in the peninsula have total fertility rates (TFRs) above the replacement level of 2.1 children per woman.

"Only Terengganu, Kelantan, and Pahang are recording a TFR above the replacement level," Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Mohd Uzir Mahidin said in a Facebook video presentation announcing Malaysia's population statistics.

Terengganu has th...