Think tank launches study to tackle Chinese birth rate slump

Summary

• Huayan is researching ways to address plummeting Chinese birth rates.

• Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin contributes RM30,000 to the project, which is estimated to cost RM170,000.

A Chinese community think tank is embarking on a study to find ways to mitigate the plummeting Chinese birth rates, which have declined by 60 percent between 2000 and 2023.

The Centre for Malaysian Chinese Studies (Huayan) said the "Chinese Population Study" project aims to develop a population model for the Chinese community to gain deeper insights into the challenges behind the population decline.

Huayan's academic research chair Chang Yun Fah shared that this would also allow it to propose more effective solutions to the declining birth rates.

“We cannot solely rely on the annual population figures published by the Statistics Department.

"This kind of fragmented data only tells you, for instance, the birth rate for 2024, but it’s difficult to gain a comprehensive understanding of broader demographic (or) structural issues.

“To truly understand the situation, you need to look at the past through to the present, and then project future trends, only then can you develop a complete picture," he said at a press conference yesterday.

He added that beyond government-level research, the "Chinese Population Study" can also examine demographic changes from the perspective of civil society.

He noted that the project would also assist leaders within the Chinese community, both political and societal, in understanding and grasping population-related issues, enabling them to plan and strategise in advance.

“ (This is) so they can make early preparations and respond to the various political, social, and economic challenges we may face in the future," Chang said.

Birth rates across ethnicities in Malaysia are declining, but the situation is more stark for the Chinese.

According to the latest data from the Statistics Department, only 7,350 Chinese babies were born in the first four months of 2025, declining by 8.6 percent, the lowest in Malaysia's history.

Three-year project

Chang said the "Chinese Population Study" is a three-year project divided into three phases, with each phase lasting one year and covering a total of nine subtopics.

The project is led by three coordinators: Chang, along with scholars Ngu Ik Tien and Tan Joo Siang.

Launched in March, the project expects the results of the first phase of research to be released early next year.

Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin, who has been keeping a close eye on the Chinese fertility rate, contributed RM30,000 in seed funding to Huayan for the project.

Huayan director Chiam Yan Tuan estimated the total budget for the project at around RM170,000 and called on leaders of the Chinese community to offer their support and assistance.

Baby crisis: MCA fears Chinese representation fade-out

Changing demography challenge, lifeline for SJKCs - paper

Sim 'shocked' by declining birth rates across all races

Total fertility rates rise across ethnicities, but Chinese still low