Dr Mahathir Mohamad addresses the Malaysian diaspora in Singapore at a high tea event in Shangri-La Hotel November 12, 2018. — Picture courtesy of Information Department Malaysia

SINGAPORE, Nov 12 — Malaysian youths were told today to get married and procreate, as Putrajaya continues to worry about the nation turning into an aged population.

Answering questions from the crowd during a high tea with the Malaysian diaspora here, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad expressed his worry that the country’s population will turn into a reverse pyramid — with a small number of young people supporting the old.

“What we want to do is have more young people. So, go get married and have children,” Dr Mahathir said in reply to a question on his aspirations for youths.

He added that the best way to increase the productivity of the youth is through education.

In the 1980s, Dr Mahathir shocked everyone by declaring that his vision for the country was to have a population of 70 million in 100 years. The population then was around 13 million people.

Malaysia’s population this year is 32.4 million, based on the latest data by the Department of Statistics.

The number of Malaysians aged 60 years and above is currently estimated to be 1.4 million, and is projected to increase to 3.3 million by 2020.

By 2050, one in five Malaysians are expected to be over 60.