KOTA KINABALU: Sabah’s fertility rate has fallen to 1.5 children per woman, which is below the national replacement level.
Assistant Community Development and People’s Well-being Minister Datuk Flovia Ng said the trend, coupled with early marriages and unplanned teenage pregnancies, continues to affect family stability, especially in rural areas.
She shared the observation during the State Population Seminar 2025 held in conjunction with World Population Day at the Federal Government Administration Complex on Thursday.
window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []};googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.defineSlot('/22826383987/dailyexpress_inline', [1, 1], 'gpt-passback').addService(googletag.pubads());googletag.enableServices();googletag.display('gpt-passback');});Flovia noted that more than 1,000 individuals have participated in awareness programmes since 2023 aimed at reducing early marriages.
She urged greater inter-agency collaboration to strengthen family support and ensure Sabah’s demographic future remains stable and inclusive.