Bangladeshis Account for 37% of Malaysia’s Foreign Workforce: Government Data Shows

According to government officials figures, country has appeared as the largest source of foreign labour in Malaysia, with more than a 37℅ of the country’s migrant workforce now consisting of Bangladeshi nationals.

That Data has been published from Malaysia’s home ministry as of June 2025, 803,332 Bangladeshi workers held authentic employment permits, representing 37 percent of all foreign labours in the country. This shows the significant role of Bangladeshis , which filling Malaysia’s low-skilled labour demand.

The ministry showed that 49,353 Bangladeshi workers arrived in Malaysia in 2022 after the reopening of borders Covid-19 pandemic. In 2023, under the Foreign Worker Recruitment Relaxation Plan a temporary program aimed at fast-tracking employment an additional 397,548 Bangladeshis joined the Malaysian workforce.

However , repatriations continued alongside new arrivals. 20,331 Numbers of employment are sent back Bangladeshi during 2022 and 23,065 in 2023.
The figures were revealed in response to a parliamentary question by opposition MP Hassan Karim (PH–Pasir Gudang), who requested to give in detailed statistics on Bangladeshi workers going to Malaysia, including valid permit holders, undocumented workers, and those are coming back to the homeland.