Bangladeshis make up 37pc of Malaysia’s foreign workforce: Report

Bangladeshis now make up more than a third of Malaysia’s foreign workforce, with over 800,000 nationals holding valid employment permits, according to Malaysia’s home ministry.

Citing a parliamentary written reply dated Aug 25, Malaysian outlet The Star reports that as of June 2025, there were 803,332 active Bangladeshi work permit holders, accounting for 37 per cent of all foreign workers in the country. This makes Bangladesh the largest source of low-skilled labour for Malaysia.

The ministry said 49,353 Bangladeshis entered Malaysia in 2022 after borders reopened following the Covid-19 pandemic. The following year, under the Foreign Worker Recruitment Relaxation Plan, a temporary scheme to fast-track hiring, a further 397,548 new Bangladeshi workers arrived.

At the same time, repatriations continued. Employers sent back 20,331 Bangladeshi workers in 2022 and 23,065 in 2023.

The ministry also noted that 790 Bangladeshi nationals had been detained for overstaying their passes.

The figures were provided in response to a question from opposition MP Hassan Karim (PH–Pasir Gudang), who asked for a breakdown of Bangladeshi workers entering Malaysia in 2022 and 2023, including those holding valid permits, undocumented workers, and those repatriated.