PROGRESS OF

THE MALAY COMMUNITY

IN SINGAPORE
SINCE 1980
 CONTENTS

• Introduction 2

• Education 3

• Workforce and Income 9

• Social Profile 12

• Quality of Life 17

• Conclusion 20

• Annexes 21

1
 Introduction

This report highlights the progress of the

Malay/Muslim community since 1980. It
updates a previous report published in 2001,
and presents educational, economic, social,
and quality of life indicators* which together
give a comprehensive picture of the
community.

*Figures in report are rounded up to 2 significant figures.

2
 EDUCATION

Chart 1.1
Proportion of Students among Resident Population
1. More Malay Children Enrolled in Aged 7 - 16 years (%)
Schools
100

98
The proportion of students among
Malays in the age group 7 -16 years has
risen from 85% in 1980 to 99% in 2005. 96
The proportion is now the same as the
national average. 94

92

90

Chinese
88
Malay

86 Indian
Overall

84
1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

1980 1990 1995 2000 2005

Chinese 91 97 99 99 99
Malay 85 94 97 97 99
Indian 88 95 97 98 99
Overall 90 97 98 98 99
Source: Department of Statistics
Note: Data for 1985 is not available.

3
 Chart 2.1
Percentage of GCE ‘O’ Level Students with at least Five ‘O’
2. Improved Educational Performance Level Passes (%)

100

More Malay students in each cohort 80

obtain at least five ‘O’ level passes,
which enables them to progress to
60
higher education. The proportion has
increased steadily from 16% in 1980 to
63% in 2005. 40
Chinese
Malay
20 Indian
Overall
0
1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Chinese 44 67 73 77 83 84
Malay 16 37 43 46 53 63
Indian 34 51 58 61 66 73
Overall 40 63 69 73 78 81
Source: Ministry of Education

Chart 2.2
Percentage of GCE ‘A’ Level Students with at least Two ‘A’ and
Two ‘AO’ Level Passes including General Paper (%)

Similarly, the proportion of Malay ‘A’ 100

level students who obtained at least two
‘A’ and two ‘AO’ level passes at the 80
GCE ‘A’ Level examination (including
General Paper) has increased from 49%
60
in 1980 to 84% in 2005.

40
Chinese
Malay
20 Indian
Overall

0
1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Chinese 68 66 78 87 86 92
Malay 49 58 57 72 74 84
Indian 65 70 71 84 88 90
Overall 67 66 77 86 86 91
Source: Ministry of Education

4
 Chart 3.1
3. Improved Educational Percentage of Primary One Cohort Admitted to
Post-Secondary Institutions (%)
Attainment
100

80
The proportion of a Malay P1 cohort
admitted to post-secondary institutions
(Institutes of Technical Education, 60

Polytechnics, Junior Colleges /

Centralised Institute) has more than 40 Chinese
doubled, from 36% in 1990 to 81% in Malay
2005. 20 Indian
Overall

0
1990 1995 2000 2005

1990 1995 2000 2005

Chinese 65 73 88 96
Malay 36 45 70 81
Indian 39 50 75 90
Overall 59 68 84 93
Source: Ministry of Education
Note: Data for 2005 is preliminary.

Chart 3.2
Percentage of Primary One Cohort Admitted to
Tertiary Institutions (Polytechnics or Universities) (%)

The proportion of a Malay P1 cohort 100

entering local publicly-funded tertiary Chinese
institutions (polytechnics or universities) 80 Malay
has increased from 1.3% in 1980 to Indian
34% in 2005. 60 Overall

40

20

0
1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Chinese 13 27 42 56 64 69
Malay 1.3 5.8 13 18 26 34
Indian 4.3 9.7 18 28 35 39
Overall 10 22 36 50 57 60
Source: Ministry of Education

5
 Chart 3.3
Percentage of Primary One Cohort Admitted to
Local Publicly Funded Universities (%)

The proportion of a Malay P1 cohort 60

entering local publicly-funded Chinese
universities (National University of 50
Malay
Singapore, Nanyang Technological Indian
40
University and Singapore Management Overall
University) has increased from 0.5% in 30
1980 to 5.4% in 2005.
20

10

0
1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Chinese 5.9 9.5 17 23 25 30
Malay 0.5 1.6 2.9 3.3 3.8 5.4
Indian 3.5 5.4 8.0 10 9.3 11
Overall 4.9 7.9 15 19 21 24
Source: Ministry of Education

Chart 4.1
4. Fewer School Dropouts Primary School Dropouts
per 1,000 Primary School Students

8
Chinese
The number of primary school dropouts
Malay
has decreased steadily over the years. 6
Indian
Out of every 1,000 Malay primary school
students, there were just 0.7 dropouts in Overall
4
2005, compared to 6.8 in 1990.

Refer to Annex A for data on the actual

2
number of dropouts.

0
1990 1995 2000 2005

1990 1995 2000 2005

Chinese 1.9 0.3 0.2 0.1
Malay 6.8 1.6 1.2 0.7
Indian 6.1 1.3 0.6 0.3
Overall 3 0.7 0.4 0.3
Source: Ministry of Education

6
 Chart 4.2
Secondary School Dropouts
per 1,000 Secondary School Students

The number of secondary school 25

dropouts has also decreased. Out of Chinese
every 1,000 Malay secondary school Malay
students, there were 7.3 dropouts in 20
Indian
2005, compared to 24 in 1990.
Overall

Refer to Annex A for data on the actual 15

number of dropouts.

10

0
1990 1995 2000 2005

1990 1995 2000 2005

Chinese 8.7 7.6 5.3 3.3
Malay 24 16 13 7.3
Indian 14 9.4 7.8 4.4
Overall 11 9 6.9 4.2
Source: Ministry of Education

7
 Table 5.1
Ranking in TIMSS 2003 for Top 30 Educational Systems
5. Comparison with Other Countries - (Secondary 2 /Grade 8)
Performance in
MATHEMATICS SCIENCE
Mathematics and Science
Ranking Country Country
1 SINGAPORE SINGAPORE
2 Korea, Rep. of Chinese Taipei
Singapore Malay students perform 3 Hong Kong, SAR Korea, Rep. of
much better in Mathematics and 4 Chinese Taipei Hong Kong, SAR
Science than students from many other 5 Japan Estonia
educational systems. The 2003 Trends Singapore Malays
in International Mathematics and 6 Belgium (Flemish) Japan
Science Study (TIMSS) compared 7 Netherlands Hungary
educational outcomes across 49 8 Estonia Netherlands
developed and developing countries. 9 Hungary United States
Singapore students came in 1st in both 10 Malaysia Australia
Mathematics and Science at Secondary 11 Latvia Sweden
2. The Ministry of Education estimates 12 Russian Federation Slovenia
that Singapore Malays ranked between
13 Slovak Republic New Zealand
5th and 6th in Mathematics (up from
14 Australia Lithuania
between 6th and 7th position in 1999),
15 United States Slovak Republic
and 15th and 16th in Science (up from
between 19th and 20th position in 1999). Singapore Malays
These rankings are well above the 16 Lithuania Belgium (Flemish)
international averages. 17 Sweden Russian Federation
18 Scotland Latvia
19 Israel Scotland
20 New Zealand Malaysia
21 Slovenia Norway
22 Italy Italy
23 Armenia Israel
24 Serbia Bulgaria
25 Bulgaria Jordan
International Average
26 Romania Moldova, Rep. of
International
Average
27 Norway Romania
28 Moldova, Rep. of Serbia
29 Cyprus Armenia
30 Macedonia, Rep. of Iran, Islamic Rep. of
Source: Ministry of Education

8
 WORKFORCE & INCOME

Chart 6.1
6. Improved Educational Profile of Malay Resident Working Persons
Aged 15 Years and Over By Highest Qualification Attained (%)
Malay Workforce
100

90

The educational profile of the Malay 80

workforce has improved – 70% of the
resident workforce in 2005 attained 70
secondary and higher qualifications, as
60
compared to 19% in 1980.
50
Refer to Annex B for data on Chinese
and Indians in 2005. 40

30

20

10

0
1980 1990 1995 2000 2005
Below Secondary Secondary
Upper Secondary Polytechnic
University

1980 1990 1995 2000 2005

University 0.3 0.8 1.4 3 5.1
Polytechnic - 1.2 3.5 4.3 7.6
Upper Secondary 3.3 6.5 10.6 17.7 21.5
Secondary 15.7 37.9 41.3 37.9 35.4
Below Secondary 80.6 53.7 43.3 37.1 30.4
Source: Department of Statistics
Note: 1) Polytechnic data for 1980 is not available separately and is included in
the Upper Secondary category for year 1980.
2) Data for 1985 is not available.

9
 Chart 7.1
Occupational Distribution of Malay Resident Working Persons
7. Improved Occupational Profile Aged 15 and Over (%)
100

90
Malay workers have experienced
upward mobility in occupational profile. 80
In 1980, only 7.2% of Malays were
holding administrative and managerial, 70
professional, and technical related jobs.
This increased to 21% in 2005. 60

50
Refer to Annex C for data on Chinese
and Indians in 2005. 40

30

20

10

0
1980 1990 1995 2000 2005

Cleaners & Labourers Production & Related

Sales & Services Clerical
Technical & Related Professional
Administrative & Managerial Others

1980 1990 1995 2000 2005

Others 3.8 3.0 3.8 2.3 3.0
Administrative &
Managerial 0.7 1.1 1.6 2.9 2.4
Professional 1.9 2.2 2.9 4.1 4.6
Technical & Related 4.6 8.4 13.9 16.4 14.2
Clerical 10.2 16.0 18.9 20.0 18.6
Sales & Services 13.6 15.4 14.9 16.2 20.3
Production & Related 45.1 37.7 30.4 27.5 26.1
Cleaners & Labourers 20.2 16.2 13.6 10.7 10.8
Source: Department of Statistics
Note: Data for 1985 is not available.

10
 Chart 8.1
8. Rising Income Median Monthly Household Income from Work among Employed
Households ($)

Households are doing better financially. 4,000 Chinese

Median monthly household income for Malay
Malays has more than tripled from Indian
below $800 in 1980 to $3,100 in 2005. Overall
3,000

2,000

1,000

0
1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

1980 1990 1995 2000 2005

Chinese 920 2,500 3,500 4,240 4,570
Malay 770 1,920 2,560 2,900 3,050
Indian 800 2,260 3,130 3,700 4,120
Overall 890 2,390 3,330 3,990 4,320
Source: Department of Statistics
Note: 1) Data consists of only employed households.
2) Data for 1980 is not directly comparable to subsequent years.
3) Data for 1985 is not available.

11
 SOCIAL PROFILE

Chart 9.1
9. Marriage and Family Female General Marriage Rate
per 1,000 Unmarried Resident Females

Chinese
90
The number of Malay marriages has Malay
declined following the national trend, Indian
Overall
although it remains higher than the other
70
communities. In 2005, the marriage rate
was 54 Malay females per 1,000
unmarried resident females. The
50
corresponding figure in 1980 was 77.
.

30
1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Chinese 67.0 60.1 55.1 53.3 47.2 37.9
Malay 77.3 85.8 95.5 85.2 67.1 54.0
Indian 73.6 67.6 69.5 62.7 50.7 39.2
Overall 68.9 64.0 60.9 57.6 49.9 40.8
Source: Department of Statistics

Chart 9.2
Median Age of Brides at First Marriage (Years)

28
The median age of Malay brides at first
marriage has increased, in line with the 27
trend for Chinese and Indian brides. In
2005, the median age was 25 as 26
compared to 23 in 1985.
25

24 Chinese
Malay
23 Indian
Overall
22
1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Chinese 24.7 25.6 25.8 26.4 27.2
Malay 22.8 23.9 24.1 24.3 24.7
Indian 23.9 24.7 25.1 25.6 25.7
Overall 24.3 25.3 25.6 26.2 26.9
Source: Department of Statistics

12
 Chart 9.3
Total Fertility Rate per Resident Female

4.0
The total fertility rate (TFR) of Malays Chinese
per resident female has decreased 3.5
Malay
slightly from 2.2 in 1980 to 2.1 in 2005. Indian
Overall
3.0

2.5

2.0

1.5

1.0
1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Chinese 1.73 1.46 1.65 1.51 1.43 1.08
Malay 2.19 2.28 2.69 2.5 2.54 2.07
Indian 2.03 1.78 1.89 1.71 1.58 1.25
Overall 1.82 1.61 1.83 1.67 1.6 1.25
Source: Department of Statistics

Chart 9.4
Average Number of Children Born to
Malay Resident Females Aged 40 – 49 Years By Highest
Qualification Attained, 2005
Malay females with higher educational
3
qualifications are likely to have fewer
children, just like other communities.
2.5

Refer to Annex D for data on Chinese

2
and Indians in 2005.
1.5

0.5

0
No Prim ary Sec Upper Poly University
Qualifications Sec

No Upper
Qualification Pri Sec Sec Poly Uni
2.60 2.66 2.53 2.28 2.06 1.87
Source: Department of Statistics

13
 Chart 9.5
Female General Divorce Rate
per 1,000 Married Resident Females

The number of divorces is growing. In 20

Chinese
2005, the divorce rate was 16 Malay
Malay
females per 1,000 married resident 16
Indian
females, as compared to 6.9 in 1980.
Overall
12

0
1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Chinese 3.1 3.6 5.1 5.4 4.9 6.6
Malay 6.9 8.8 10.3 9.6 12.8 15.5
Indian 5.6 6.7 7.5 7.6 6.4 7.1
Overall 3.8 4.6 6.1 6.2 6.5 7.9
Source: Department of Statistics

Chart 9.6
Resident Households Headed by Single Parents
per 1,000 Resident Households with at least One Child Aged
Below 16 Years of Age
There is a steady rise in the number of
single-parent households. Out of every
1,000 resident Malay households, 70 70 Chinese
were headed by single parents in 2005, Malay
as compared to 47 in 1990. 60 Indian
Overall
50

40

30
1990 1995 2000 2005

1990 1995 2000 2005

Chinese 39 35 40 46
Malay 47 51 58 70
Indian 50 45 51 48
Overall 41 38 44 50
Source: Department of Statistics
Note: Single parents refer to household heads who are single, widowed, divorced
or separated and living with at least 1 child aged below 16 years.

14
 Chart 9.7
Single Parent-Registered Births
per 10,000 Female Residents
The number of births registered by 10
single Malay parents has also been
rising. Such births per 10,000 female Chinese
8
residents have increased from 5.9 in Malay
1990 to 9.3 in 2005. Indian
6
Overall

0
1990 1995 2000 2005

1990 1995 2000 2005

Chinese 2.5 1.7 1.4 1.1
Malay 5.9 5.6 8.2 9.3
Indian 8.8 5.1 4.5 3.7
Overall 3.4 2.5 2.7 2.5
Source: Immigration and Checkpoints Authority

Chart 10.1
10. Teenage Sexuality Proportion of Brides Aged 20 Years and Below (%)

30
Chinese
Malay
Minor marriages remain relatively 25
Indian
common, although the proportion has Overall
20
decreased from 31% of all Malay brides
in 1980 to 13% in 2005. 15

10

0
1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Chinese 13.4 8.7 5.7 3.8 3.8 2.7
Malay 30.5 24.0 17.1 14.8 15.1 12.7
Indian 26.6 19.3 12 10.7 9.6 7.6
Overall 17 12.2 8.2 5.9 5.8 5.1
Source: Department of Statistics

15
 Chart 10.2
Teenage Births per 1,000 Female Residents
Aged 10-19 Years
Teenage births remain high, although 16
lower than before. In 2005, there were Chinese
14 Malay
11 Malay teenage births per 1,000 Indian
female residents (aged 10 to 19). 12 Overall

10

0
1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Chinese 5.2 3.0 2.6 1.8 2.5 1.5
Malay 13.4 13.6 13.3 9.6 11.1 10.6
Indian 10.5 7.2 8.2 4.8 4.7 3.4
Overall 7.1 5.1 4.6 3.3 4.4 3.5
Source: Ministry of Health

Chart 11.1
11. Decline in Drug Abuse Resident Youth Drug Abusers
per 10,000 Residents Aged 15-29 Years

160 Chinese
Drug abuse has plummeted. The Malay
number of Malay drug abusers per Indian
120
10,000 residents (aged 15 – 29) has Overall
decreased from 170 in 1990 to 6.7 in
2005. 80

40

0
1990 1995 2000 2005

1990 1995 2000 2005

Chinese 13.5 10.3 5.8 6.2
Malay 166.7 173.1 62.6 6.7
Indian 83.7 96.5 27.9 3.9
Overall 42.7 39.5 15.5 6.1
Source: Central Narcotics Bureau

16
 QUALITY OF LIFE

Chart 12.1
12. Better Housing Home Ownership Rate among Resident Households (%)

100

90
Home ownership is high. In 2005, 93%
of Malay households owned the homes
they lived in. In 1980, only half of Malay 80

households owned homes.

70

Chinese
60
Malay

Indian
50
Overall

40
1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

1980 1990 1995 2000 2005

Chinese 61.9 87.5 90.8 92.9 92.9
Malay 49.7 92.3 89.9 93.5 93.2
Indian 42.2 80.9 85 86.8 83.1
Overall 58.8 87.5 90.2 92.3 91.7
Source: Department of Statistics
Note: Data for 1985 is not available.

17
 Chart 12.2
Distribution of Type of Dwelling among Malay Resident
Households (%)

More households are living in bigger 100

homes. The proportion living in 4-room
and bigger flats and private housing 90
increased from 11% in 1980 to 71% in
2005. 80

Refer to Annex E for data on Chinese 70

and Indians in 2005.
60

50

40

30

20

10

0
1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005
1- & 2- Rm HDB Flats 3-Rm HDB Flats
4-Rm HDB Flats 5-Rm and Exec HDB Flats
Private Housing Others

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Others 25.7 9.6 1.9 0.5 0.2 0.2
Private Housing 2.7 1.2 1.6 1.4 1.5 2.3
5-Rm and Exec
HDB Flats 1.6 2.5 9.3 13.6 22.3 27.3
4-Rm HDB Flats 6.7 11.5 30.4 33.5 41.1 41.7
3-Rm HDB Flats 32.7 47.9 49.7 41.1 28.4 22.1
1- & 2- Rm HDB
Flats 30.6 27.4 7.1 9.9 6.5 6.4
Source: Department of Statistics
Note: Others include other HDB dwellings, non-HDB shophouses, attap/zinc-roofed
houses and other public flats.

18
 Chart 13.1
13. Higher Ownership of Consumer Malay Resident Households with Specific Consumer Durables
(%)
Durables
Consumer Item 1992 1998 2003
Basic
Telephone 95 96 90
Ownership of consumer durables has Handphone 1.1 40 87
Washing Machine 89 95 96
increased steadily. In 2003, more Malay
Refrigerator 98 100 99
households owned cars (23%), air-
Television 99 100 99
conditioners (47%), mobile phones Luxury
(87%), personal computers (64%), and Car 13 16 23
laser/VCD players (87%) than before. Motorcycle / Scooter 23 27 23
Personal Computer 7.9 37 64
Refer to Annex F for data on Chinese Laser / Video / CD
and Indians in 2003. Player 12 61 87
Microwave Oven 21 38 62
Air Conditioner 7.9 28 47
Cable TV Subscription - 18 36
Internet Subscription - 11 44
Source: Department of Statistics
Note: Data includes all households in the Household Expenditure Survey
(including one-person households).

Chart 14.1
14. Places of Worship Number of Prayer Spaces
130,000

120,000
Between 1990 and 2005, the Islamic
Council of Singapore (MUIS) has 110,000
developed 11 new generation mosques
in HDB new towns, half of which 100,000
replaced old mosques. In addition,
MUIS has also helped to redevelop and
90,000
upgrade 13 existing mosques.
80,000
The mosque development/upgrading
programme over the last fifteen years
70,000
has provided about 43,500 more prayer
spaces for the Muslim community.
60,000
1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

65,645 73,460 77,970 91,220 97020 121,520
Source: Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS)

19
 15. Conclusion

The overall well-being of the Malay/Muslim community has improved considerably over the last 25 years.
More Malay/Muslim children are now attending schools. The number of school dropouts has decreased
significantly, especially at the primary level. Educational outcomes have also improved, with more
Malays making it to post-secondary education. Success in education has fed through and raised the
socio-economic status of the Malay/Muslim community. Malay/Muslims are holding higher-skilled and
better-paying jobs. Incomes have gone up. The quality of life, as measured by housing type and
possession of consumer durables has also improved.

However, several social challenges remain. Divorce rates are rising. There are high rates of early
marriages and teenage pregnancies. The number of single-parent families is also high. The progress
which has been achieved equips the Malay/Muslim community to tackle these remaining challenges
resolutely and decisively.

20
 ANNEXES

Annex A
Chart A1: Number of Primary School Dropouts
800

700

600

500

400

300

200

100

0
1990 1995 2000 2005

Chinese 355 64 44 27
Malay 279 74 66 36
Indian 110 26 16 8
Total 751 165 127 71

Source: Ministry of Education

Chart A2: Number of Secondary School Dropouts

1,600

1,400

1,200

1,000

800

600

400

200

0
1990 1995 2000 2005

Chinese 1105 1024 645 491

Malay 415 421 386 282
Indian 123 114 107 75
Total 1664 1576 1152 860

Source: Ministry of Education

21
Annex B

Chart B1: Resident Working Persons Aged 15 Years and Over

By Highest Qualification Attained, 2005 (%)

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0
Chinese Malay Indian Overall
University 23.6 5.1 28.5 22.4
Polytechnic 11.5 7.6 7.7 10.7
Upper Secondary 17.3 21.5 18.7 17.9
Secondary 21.7 35.4 23.2 23.2
Below Secondary 26 30.4 21.8 25.8

Source: Department of Statistics

22
Annex C

Chart C1: Occupational Distribution of Resident Working Persons

Aged 15 and Over, 2005 (%)

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0
Chinese Malay Indian Overall
Others 3.4 3.0 4.0 3.4
Administrative & Managerial 14.6 2.4 11.4 13.1
Professional 12.6 4.6 18.2 12.4
Technical & Related 20.1 14.2 17.1 19.3
Clerical 13.6 18.6 14.0 14.1
Sales & Services 13.8 20.3 14.7 14.5
Production & Related 16.7 26.1 13.7 17.3
Cleaners & Labourers 5.2 10.8 6.8 5.9

Source: Department of Statistics

23
Annex D

Chart D1: Average Number of Children Born among Resident

Females Aged 40 – 49 by Highest Qualification Attained, 2005
3

2.5

1.5

0.5

0
No
Primary Sec Upper Sec Poly University
Qualification
Chinese 1.91 1.91 1.69 1.49 1.56 1.43
Malays 2.60 2.66 2.53 2.28 2.06 1.87
Indians 2.19 2.18 1.89 1.85 1.97 1.63
Overall 2.04 2.05 1.85 1.59 1.60 1.47

Source: Department of Statistics

24
Annex E

Chart E1: Distribution of Type of Dwelling

Among Resident Households, 2005 (%)

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0
Chinese Malay Indian Overall
Others 0.8 0.2 1.0 0.8
Private Housing 16.3 2.3 12.9 14.8
5-Rm and Exec HDB Flats 26.9 27.3 26.6 26.9
4-Rm HDB Flats 31.4 41.7 32.7 32.5
3-Rm HDB Flats 20.6 22.1 20.6 20.7
1- & 2- Rm HDB Flats 4.0 6.4 6.0 4.4

Source: Department of Statistics

Note: Others include other HDB dwellings, non-HDB shophouses, attap/zinc-roofed houses and
other public flats.

25
Annex F

Table F1: Resident Households with Specific Consumer Durables, 2003 (%)

Consumer Item Chinese Malay Indian Overall

Basic
Telephone 94 90 94 93
Handphone 90 87 87 89
Washing Machine 92 96 96 93
Refrigerator 99 99 98 99
Television 98 99 98 98
Luxury
Car 39 23 22 35
Motorcycle / Scooter 6.4 23 8.6 8.7
Personal Computer 71 64 72 70
Laser / Video / CD Player 83 87 81 83
Microwave Oven 52 62 69 55
Air Conditioner 76 47 64 72
Cable TV Subscription 32 36 67 35
Internet Subscription 57 44 58 56

Source: Department of Statistics

26