Many Malaysian ad accounts quietly stop at age 54. The thinking goes that older people are “not really online”, so budget goes to younger audiences by default. The official data no longer supports that habit.
This report looks at senior internet users in Malaysia: how many people over 50 are online, how big the group is, what they actually do on the internet, and which habits are growing fastest. Most figures come from the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) survey of 2025, released in April 2026. No 2026 survey results are published yet, so 2025 is the latest year.
At ZenWeb, a Google Partner agency with 500+ Malaysian clients, we use this data to decide when older buyers deserve their own campaigns. For national totals across all ages, see our internet users in Malaysia report. The short Free Malaysia Today clip below shows one big worry for older users: online scams.
Source video: Free Malaysia Today, Watch on YouTube. Published October 2023. The figures in this report are newer and come from the DOSM sources linked below.
Quick Answer: In 2025, 92.3% of Malaysians aged 60 and above used the internet, up from 91.6% in 2024. Usage was 98.5% for ages 55–59 and 99.0% for ages 50–54. Among over-60s who are online, 98.6% use social networks, 56.4% use internet banking and 50.5% buy through e-commerce.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| People aged 60+ using the internet (2025) | 92.3% |
| People aged 55–59 / 50–54 using the internet (2025) | 98.5% / 99.0% |
| All people aged 15+ using the internet (2025) | 98.3% |
| Malaysians aged 50 and over (2026 estimate) | 7.56 million (22.0%) |
| Online over-60s using social networks (2025) | 98.6% |
| Online over-60s using internet banking (2025) | 56.4% |
| Online over-60s buying through e-commerce (2025) | 50.5% |
| Facebook users in Malaysia aged 55+ (September 2026) | 12.4% |
Internet use and activity figures come from DOSM’s ICT Use and Access by Individuals and Households Survey Report 2025, Table 2.14, summarised on the DOSM release page. Population comes from OpenDOSM’s population by age dataset, and the Facebook share from NapoleonCat’s Malaysia Facebook statistics. Two notes on reading them:
Selling to customers over 50?
We plan campaigns around how each age group really behaves online, not around assumptions. See our digital marketing services →
Quick Answer: Almost all of them. DOSM’s 2025 survey found internet use of 99.0% for ages 50–54 and 98.5% for ages 55–59, both above the national rate of 98.3%. The only clear drop is at 60 and above, where 92.3% are online. That still means more than nine in ten older Malaysians use the internet.
| Age group | Bar (scale starts at 90%) | Using the internet |
|---|---|---|
| 15–19 | 98.8% | |
| 20–24 | 99.6% | |
| 25–29 | 99.5% | |
| 30–34 | 99.6% | |
| 35–39 | 99.4% | |
| 40–44 | 99.4% | |
| 45–49 | 99.1% | |
| 50–54 | 99.0% | |
| 55–59 | 98.5% | |
| 60 and above | 92.3% | |
| All aged 15+ | 98.3% |
Source: DOSM, ICT Use and Access by Individuals and Households Survey Report 2025, Table 2.14. Bars start at 90% so the differences between age groups are visible.
The chart shows a flat line until 60, then a step down. Three points stand out from the DOSM 2025 survey:
Location matters too. Rural areas lag the cities on internet access, which our internet access by state report covers in detail.
Quick Answer: Malaysia has about 7.56 million people aged 50 and over in 2026, or 22.0% of the population, per OpenDOSM estimates. That group grew 28.5% in ten years while the total population grew 8.7%. Applying DOSM’s 2025 usage rates, ZenWeb estimates about 7.2 million over-50s are online.
| Year | Aged 50+ (million) | Share of population | Aged 60+ (million) | Share of population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 5.88 | 18.6% | 2.95 | 9.3% |
| 2018 | 6.26 | 19.3% | 3.23 | 10.0% |
| 2020 | 6.39 | 19.7% | 3.34 | 10.3% |
| 2022 | 6.71 | 20.5% | 3.62 | 11.1% |
| 2024 | 7.14 | 21.0% | 3.95 | 11.6% |
| 2025 | 7.37 | 21.5% | 4.10 | 12.0% |
| 2026 (estimate) | 7.56 | 22.0% | 4.24 | 12.3% |
| 2026, estimated online (ZenWeb model) | about 7.2 | — | about 3.9 | — |
Source: OpenDOSM, Population Table: Malaysia (all residents, including non-citizens), age bands summed by ZenWeb. The “estimated online” row is a modelled estimate: 2026 population in each band multiplied by DOSM’s 2025 internet-use rate for that band (99.0%, 98.5% and 92.3%).
The headline is growth. Malaysia is ageing, as our Malaysia population data for marketers shows, and the over-50 group is where that shift lands:
Treat the 7.2 million figure as a planning estimate, not a count. DOSM surveys people in households, so care-home residents and some very elderly people may be under-represented.
Quick Answer: Social networking tops the list for every older age group, at 98.6% to 99.9% of internet users. Most also look up product information and make internet calls. Over-60s fall well behind on e-commerce (50.5%), internet banking (56.4%) and email (62.1%), but people aged 55–59 look up health information more than any other group.
| Activity (% of internet users) | 50–54 | 55–59 | 60+ | All ages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Communicate | ||||
| Using social networks | 99.8% | 99.9% | 98.6% | 99.7% |
| Making calls over the internet | 91.4% | 89.7% | 76.5% | 89.5% |
| Sending or receiving email | 82.4% | 78.3% | 62.1% | 82.6% |
| Research and media | ||||
| Finding information on goods or services | 95.7% | 94.4% | 87.7% | 94.6% |
| Downloading pictures, films or games | 94.3% | 93.0% | 83.5% | 94.8% |
| Listening to radio online | 81.4% | 79.9% | 72.0% | 80.3% |
| Watching television online | 71.0% | 65.1% | 55.2% | 71.0% |
| Finding health information | 67.2% | 70.6% | 54.2% | 64.0% |
| Getting information from government | 64.7% | 65.4% | 51.9% | 59.6% |
| Money and shopping | ||||
| Using internet banking | 86.4% | 81.5% | 56.4% | 80.0% |
| Buying goods or services via e-commerce | 79.6% | 74.6% | 50.5% | 77.8% |
| Making a medical appointment online | 38.2% | 39.3% | 31.5% | 34.8% |
Source: DOSM, ICT Use and Access by Individuals and Households Survey Report 2025, Table 2.14. Green marks where ages 55–59 are above the all-ages figure; red marks the largest 60+ gaps.
The table breaks older users into two clear patterns:
Shopping behaviour across all ages is covered in our online shopping habits in Malaysia report, which helps you compare older buyers with the wider market.
Quick Answer: Online shopping and online discussion grew fastest between 2024 and 2025. Among internet users aged 55–59, e-commerce buying rose from 62.1% to 74.6%. Over-60s joining online discussions rose from 24.3% to 35.7%. Email use among over-60s fell slightly, from 64.9% to 62.1%, as messaging apps take over.
| Habit | 55–59: 2024 → 2025 | 60+: 2024 → 2025 | 55–59 change (points) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accessing online discussion | 30.2% → 43.0% | 24.3% → 35.7% | +12.8 |
| Buying via e-commerce | 62.1% → 74.6% | 48.7% → 50.5% | +12.5 |
| Listening to radio online | 72.2% → 79.9% | 64.7% → 72.0% | +7.7 |
| Making calls over the internet | 83.8% → 89.7% | 77.5% → 76.5% | +5.9 |
| Sending or receiving email | 74.3% → 78.3% | 64.9% → 62.1% | +4.0 |
| Using the internet at all (% of age group) | 97.4% → 98.5% | 91.6% → 92.3% | +1.1 |
| Using social networks | 99.6% → 99.9% | 98.1% → 98.6% | +0.3 |
Sources: DOSM ICT Use and Access Survey Reports 2024 and 2025, Table 2.14. Change calculated by ZenWeb. Activity figures are shares of internet users in each age group.
Two years of data is a short trend, so read it as direction, not destiny. Still, the 2024 figures from DOSM’s 2024 release point to three shifts:
Payment choice matters here. Our online payment methods in Malaysia data shows which checkout options shoppers trust, and e-wallet usage in Malaysia shows how fast cashless habits are spreading.
Are your ads excluding buyers over 55?
We review age settings, audiences and results by age band, then shift budget to the groups that actually convert. Get your Meta Ads age targeting reviewed →
Quick Answer: Older Malaysians use social media almost as much as anyone, but they are a smaller share of each platform’s audience. In September 2026, users aged 55 and over made up 12.4% of Facebook users in Malaysia, per NapoleonCat. Facebook, WhatsApp and YouTube are the safest places to reach them.
DOSM does not split usage by platform and age, so platform data comes from ad tools. NapoleonCat’s September 2026 figures show 7.2% of Facebook users in Malaysia are aged 55–64 and 5.2% are 65 or older. Out of 31.9 million users, that is nearly 4 million people aged 55 and over.
Here is how the main platforms compare for this audience:
Quick Answer: To win senior internet users in Malaysia, stop capping ad age ranges at 54 and test the 55–64 and 65+ brackets. Make your website easy to read, show trust signals clearly, offer WhatsApp and phone options, and keep payment familiar. Then measure results by age band and move budget to the groups that convert.
Here is the six-step approach we use with clients whose buyers include older Malaysians:
Our digital marketing services bring these steps together across search, social and your website. For wider channel numbers, see our digital marketing statistics for Malaysia.
Quick Answer: Senior internet users in Malaysia are a large and growing audience. Over 98% of people in their 50s and 92.3% of over-60s are online, and the 50+ population has reached 7.56 million. They use social media and search heavily but buy online less, so trust and simple checkout decide who wins them.
The old idea that older Malaysians are offline no longer holds. People in their 50s behave much like the rest of the market, and over-60s are close behind on everything except paying online. For businesses in health, insurance, travel, property and home services, this is often one of the less crowded audiences in Malaysian digital advertising.
If you want help building campaigns for older buyers, our digital marketing team can plan the right mix of channels and pages.
DOSM’s 2025 survey found 92.3% of Malaysians aged 60 and above use the internet, up from 91.6% in 2024. Usage is higher for people in their 50s: 99.0% for ages 50–54 and 98.5% for ages 55–59.
OpenDOSM estimates about 7.56 million people aged 50 and over in Malaysia in 2026, or 22.0% of the population. Of these, 4.24 million are aged 60 and over. The 50+ group grew 28.5% between 2016 and 2026.
Social networking is the top activity, used by 98.6% of online over-60s in 2025. Finding product information (87.7%), downloading or streaming media (83.5%) and internet calls (76.5%) follow. Email, banking and online shopping are less common in this group.
About half do. In 2025, 50.5% of internet users aged 60 and above bought goods or services through e-commerce, compared with 77.8% of all internet users. Among ages 55–59 the figure jumped to 74.6%, up from 62.1% a year earlier.
Yes. Google Ads demographic targeting includes 55–64 and 65+ age brackets for Search, Display, Video and Demand Gen campaigns. Keep both brackets switched on at first, then compare cost per lead by age before excluding anyone.
Cite this page: ZenWeb (2026). Senior Internet Users Malaysia 2026: Online Habits Over 50. https://zenweb.my/blog/senior-internet-users-malaysia/
You may quote our data with this credit and a link. See our Terms of Use.
Win the buyers your competitors overlook
Book a free 30-minute consultation. We’ll check how your ads and website perform with customers over 50 and show you where to improve.
Get A Free Proposal
Complete the form and our team will contact you to discuss your goals. Let’s grow your business.
Chat with us on WhatsApp
Tell us a little about what you need. We'll open WhatsApp with your message ready to send.
