Malaysia is ageing faster than any of its neighbours. The Ministry of Health projects the country will be an 'aged nation' by 2036, when more than 4.1 million Malaysians - about 15 per cent of the population - will be 60 or older.
The National Health and Morbidity Survey 2025, the Ministry of Health's nationwide study of older Malaysians, found only 14.7 per cent of those aged 60 and above are ageing well. Sixty-eight per cent live with at least two chronic conditions. Among seniors, the survey measured diabetes at 39.1 per cent, hypertension at 73.1 per cent and high cholesterol at 76.2 per cent - and a significant share did not know they had them: 1 in 5 older adults was unaware of their high cholesterol, and 15.5 per cent were unaware of their hypertension.
Muscle health tells a similar story. Sarcopenia - the gradual loss of muscle mass and strength with age - affects 45.3 per cent of Malaysians aged 60 and above, and 60 per cent are pre-frail.
These conditions do not appear at 60. The National Health and Morbidity Survey 2023 found that among all adults, 1 in 6 already has diabetes, and two in five of them do not know it. Hypertension affects 29.2 per cent of adults, high cholesterol 33.3 per cent, and obesity 21.8 per cent. The decade before 60 is when the trajectory is set - and when it is still changeable.
