Up until October 2025, Malaysia was hosting more than 210,000 registered refugees and asylum seekers. Nearly 90% were from Myanmar, including over 120,000 Rohingya concentrated in Kuala Lumpur and the Klang Valley. Others had arrived from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, and other crisis‑affected countries.
Malaysia is a non-signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention and lacks its own legal framework recognising refugee status. As a result, refugees and asylum seekers continue to face limited access to formal employment, affordable healthcare, and public education, alongside risks of arrest, detention, and exploitation. Women, children, and undocumented people in informal work are particularly exposed to abuse and gender‑based violence.
Climate-related shocks add to these vulnerabilities. Severe northeast monsoon flooding in late 2024 and renewed heavy rains in late 2025 caused infrastructure damage and livelihood disruption in several states, including Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu. Refugees living in low‑income, flood‑prone urban areas often face repeated flooding, overcrowded housing, and limited access to assistance when disasters occur.
(UNHCR accessed 24/02/2026, Monash University 20/06/2025, Rohingya Khobor 23/01/2026)
Up until October 2025, Malaysia was hosting more than 210,000 registered refugees and asylum seekers. Nearly 90% were from Myanmar, including over 120,000 Rohingya concentrated in Kuala Lumpur and the Klang Valley. Others had arrived from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, and other crisis‑affected countries.
Malaysia is a non-signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention and lacks its own legal framework recognising refugee status. As a result, refugees and asylum seekers continue to face limited access to formal employment, affordable healthcare, and public education, alongside risks of arrest, detention, and exploitation. Women, children, and undocumented people in informal work are particularly exposed to abuse and gender‑based violence.
Climate-related shocks add to these vulnerabilities. Severe northeast monsoon flooding in late 2024 and renewed heavy rains in late 2025 caused infrastructure damage and livelihood disruption in several states, including Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu. Refugees living in low‑income, flood‑prone urban areas often face repeated flooding, overcrowded housing, and limited access to assistance when disasters occur.
(UNHCR accessed 24/02/2026, Monash University 20/06/2025, Rohingya Khobor 23/01/2026)
