Kota Kinabalu: The number of non-citizen residents in Sabah in 2025 declined to 1,040,200 compared to 1,043,600 in 2024, representing a reduction of 0.32 per cent, based on the International Migration Statistics 2025 published by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).
For the period from 1991 to 2025, Sabah recorded the highest number of non-citizen residents compared to other states, with the highest proportion recorded in 1991 at 56.5 per cent 453,470 persons.
The highest number of non-citizen residents was recorded in 2018, totalling 1,158,700, according to DOSM, Thursday.
In 2025, the non-citizen population in Sabah was estimated at 1,040,200. However, this figure remains lower than the number recorded in 2018.
The period from 2020 to 2022 recorded changes due to the Covid-19 pandemic, resulting in a population structure that differed from the pre-pandemic period.
The number of non-citizen residents in Malaysia and Sabah declined during the pandemic, recording 2.56 million persons and 0.78 million persons respectively in 2021 compared to the period prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Sandakan recorded the highest number of non-citizen residents in 2025, with 195.1, followed by Tawau (142.9) and Kota Kinabalu (125.4).
Based on population composition, Kinabatangan recorded the highest proportion of non-citizen residents at 72.9 per cent, followed by Kalabakan (69.3%) and Kunak (53.4%).
The annual growth rate for Kota Kinabalu in 2025 increased to 2.9 per cent (non-citizen population: 125.4 thousand) compared to 16.4 per cent (non-citizen population: 121.8 thousand) in 2024.
This increase was driven by the post-Covid-19 pandemic period, during which the reopening of economic and educational sectors led to the inflow of foreign workers and international students.
Despite this increase, the number of non-citizen residents in Kota Kinabalu in 2025 remained lower than in 2018 (144.7 thousand).
The current population estimates were compiled based on mid-year estimates for July 2024 to June 2025, derived from the 2020 Malaysia Population and Housing Census, using the de jure concept.
This concept refers to individuals who have resided or are expected to reside as usual household members for six months or more during the reference year, based on their usual place of residence.
The concept of measuring population size in a particular area does not take into account daytime and nighttime populations, namely individuals who are present in an area during the day or night without residing there.
The presence of daytime and nighttime populations contributes to an increase in population numbers, particularly in urban areas, for purposes such as work, business, shopping, dealings with government or private agencies, tourism, visiting relatives or friends, and other daily activities.
