KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysia Census (MyCensus) 2020 ended yesterday with 32.3 million or 99.2 per cent out of the country's 32.6 million population were successfully enumerated amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Census Commissioner Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said 9.5 million living quarters and 8.1 million households were counted during the census which began in July 2020.

"Following the outbreak of COVID-19, the implementation of MyCensus 2020 was also affected and the face-to-face census had to be postponed several times. A total of 330 census enumerators were infected with the coronavirus during the census period and one of them had even died.

"The MyCensus 2020 operation is officially closed after being implemented nationwide for 482 days at a cost of RM400 million," he told a press conference on the closing of MyCensus 2020 here today.

The MyCensus 2020 was launched on July 7, 2020, and had gone through several rescheduling and adjustments due to COVID-19 and the imposition of the movement control orders.

Of the total 32.3 million residents enumerated, 23.6 per cent were enumerated online via e-Census and CATI, while the rest, via face-to-face interviews, he said.

On the preliminary findings of the census, Mohd Uzir said the country's average annual population growth rate is 1.6 per cent, while the average household size is 4.0 in 2020.

He said the Malaysian population comprises 91.6 per cent of citizens namely Bumiputera (69.7%), Chinese (22.9%), India (6.6%) and others (0.8%), while the other 8.4 per cent are non-citizens.

"The sex ratio shows 106 males for every 100 females in Malaysia," he said.

Mohd Uzir said the preliminary findings also show that 25.6 per cent of the Malaysian population are young (0-14 years), 69.1 per cent are working age (15 to 64 years) and 5.3 per cent are 65 years and older.

"The oldest population recorded in the 2020 census is in line with the data of the National Registration Department at 120 years for males and 117 years for females," he said.

Mohd Uzir said the report on the preliminary findings of MyCensus 2020 is expected to be issued in January next year.

"There are over 1,000 reports from the census to be issued at various levels and all quarters can use the data," he said.

-- BERNAMA