The table compares the populations of Australia and Malaysia in 1980 and 2002 in terms of gender distribution, birth rates, annual population growth and the proportion of people aged 65 and over.
Overall, both countries experienced population growth over the period, although the increase was far more pronounced in Malaysia. Australia had a higher proportion of elderly people in both years, while Malaysia recorded substantially higher birth rates and population-growth figures. The gender distribution remained relatively balanced in both countries.
In terms of population size, Malaysia experienced substantially stronger growth than Australia, with its population increasing from 13.7 million to 24.3 million between 1980 and 2002, compared with a rise from 14.7 million to 19.6 million in Australia. This was in relation to Malaysia’s higher annual population-growth rate, which stood at 2.4% in 1980 and 2.1% in 2002, while Australia’s figure was only 1.2% and 1.3%, respectively. Nevertheless, both countries recorded a downward trend in their birth rates, although the decrease was considerably more noticeable in Malaysia, from 3.2% to 2.2%, compared with a fall from 1.5% to 1.3% in Australia.
Regarding demographic distribution, the gender balance remained remarkably stable in both countries. In Australia, males accounted for 49.9% of the total population in both years, while the respective figure for females was 50.1%. Malaysia showed a similarly balanced distribution, although the proportion of males increased slightly from 50.3% to 50.6%, as the female share fell from 49.7% to 49.4%. A more notable difference can be seen in the elderly population. The proportion of Australians aged 65 and above rose from 9.6% to 12.4%, whereas Malaysia experienced only a modest increase, from 3.7% to 4.3%.
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