PUTRAJAYA (Bernama): The number of deaths recorded in Malaysia in the third quarter of this year jumped by 60.5% to 65,584 from 40,858 in the same period last year with Covid-19 being the main factor in the spike.

       Chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said demographic statistics for the third quarter showed Selangor recording the most deaths at 13,926 while Putrajaya saw the fewest, 90.

       "Deaths due to Covid-19 were the main contributor to the significant increase in the number of deaths in the third quarter of 2021," he said in a statement on Monday (Nov 8).

       He noted that 21,165 deaths in the third quarter of this year were due to Covid-19, an increase from just 15 in the same period last year.

       Selangor registered the most Covid-19 deaths with 7,788 while Putrajaya registered the fewest with only nine, he said.

       According to Mohd Uzir, deaths due to Covid-19 also increased in the third quarter this year in Asean countries such as Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam, and a similar trend was observed in developed countries such as the United States, Japan and the United Kingdom.

       Mohd Uzir said the number of births recorded in the third quarter decreased by 0.5% to 120,147 compared to 120,725 in the same period last year.

       Male babies outnumbered females at 61,613 to 58,534, with Selangor recording the highest live births at 22,956, and Labuan the fewest with 430, he said.

       According to Mohd Uzir, the decline in the number of births was in line with the trend in other countries such as the United States, South Korea, the United Kingdom, France and Spain.

       Mohd Uzir said Malaysia’s population in the third quarter of the year was estimated to be 32.67 million, an increase of 0.2% over 32.60 million in last year's third quarter.

       The total population comprised 30.01 million citizens or 91.9% and 2.65 million or 8.1% non-citizens, he said.

       In the third quarter of this year, males outnumbered females at 16.77 million to 15.89 million, with a ratio of 106 males per 100 females, he added.

       Mohd Uzir said the three states with the highest percentage of the population in the period were Selangor (20.1%), Sabah (11.7%) and Johor (11.6%). – Bernama