Penang - Demographics

Demographics

The state has the highest population density in Malaysia. The whole of Penang State has a density of 1,450.5 people per square kilometre and has a population of 1,520,143 as of 2010.

• Penang Island has a population of 704,376 in 2010 and a density of 2,372 people per square kilometre. Penang Island is the most populated island in Malaysia, and also an island which has the highest density in the country.

• Seberang Perai is the hinterland portion of Penang State populated by 815,767 people in the 2010 Census, and has a density of 1,086 people per square kilometre.

The ethnic composition in 2010 was:

• Chinese: 45.6%
• Bumiputra (Malays and others): 43.6%
• Indian: 10.4%
• Others: 0.4%

Penang hosts an estimated 70 000 to 80 000 of migrant workers, especially from Indonesia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand, and South Asian nations who are mostly involved in domestic help, services, manufacturing, construction, plantations, and agriculture.

In retrospect, colonial Penang was truly a cosmopolitan place. Apart from the Europeans and the already multiracial citizenry, there were communities of Siamese, Burmese, Filipino, Ceylonese, Eurasian, Japanese, Sumatran, Arab, Armenian, and Parsee people. A small but commercially significant community of German merchants also existed in Penang. Even though most of these communities are no longer extant, they lent their legacy to street and place names such as the Burmese Buddhist Temple, Crag Hotel, Siam Rd, Armenian St, Acheen St, and Gottlieb Rd. There was a Jewish enclave in Penang before World War II, but few Jews if any remain today. Penang currently has a sizeable expatriate population especially from Japan, various Asian countries and Britain, many of whom settle in Penang after their retirement as part of the Malaysia My Second Home programme.