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Four assemblymen in Sabah said the number of Kota Kinabalu residents recorded as non-Malaysian citizens has grown exponentially between 2023 and 2024, making up 20.9 per cent of the state capital city’s estimated 600,000 residents. — Picture by Firdaus Latif
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Sunday, 04 Jan 2026 9:00 PM MYT
KOTA KINABALU, Jan 4 — The number of non-citizens in the City has risen to 125,400, or about one in five residents, according to the latest Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) figures, a joint statement said.
The statement by Api-Api assemblyman Loi Kok Liang, Luyang assemblyman Samuel Wong, Inanam assemblywoman Edna Majimbun and Kapayan assemblyman Chin Teck Ming cited Department of Statistics Malaysia data showing a 58.5 per cent increase from 79,100 in 2021 to 125,400 as of December 2025.
They said the steady climb from 79,100 in 2022 to 81,700 in 2023, followed by a sharp jump to
121,800 in 2024, was at odds with the state government’s stated policy to reduce non-citizen numbers since 2020.
The lawmakers noted that Kota Kinabalu now has the third-highest non-citizen population in Sabah after Sandakan and Tawau, making up 20.9 per cent of the city’s estimated 600,000 residents.
They added that statewide figures show Sabah’s non-citizen population has reached 1,043,200 – up from 810,400 under the previous administration – calling for an explanation from Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor on why the numbers continue to rise. — Daily Express
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