Dr Zaleha Mustafa's speech may cause confusion.

The trend is also worrying officials trying to revive marriage, and birth, rates which dropped to record lows last year, leading to the first decline in population numbers in 60 years.

The issue sits at the confluence of South Korea's sharply declining birthrate, aging population, and its historical reluctance to accept more immigrants.

The number of children in Japan has been falling for more than four decades as the appetite for marriage and parenting has waned and financial worries have grown, surveys show.

This is followed by Johor Bahru in Johor and Ulu Langat in Selangor.

Concerned about China's first population drop in six decades and its rapid ageing population, authorities are trying an array of measures to lift the birth rate including financial incentives and improved childcare facilities.

China's fertility rate is already one of the world's lowest alongside South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore.

The growth is driven by international migration.

The number of gamers, which is accurate as of end-June, represents about half of the population.

The data underscores that foreign nationals are playing an even bigger role in Japanese society to make up for a shrinking population.

Trip.com Group says it will pay a parental cash subsidy of 10,000 yuan annually for five years for every child born to its employees worldwide.

The drop in couples tieing the knot comes as authorities deal with a declining birth rate and a falling population.