Suicide, chronic illness cited as leading causes of Nepali worker deaths in Malaysia

A total of 2,214 Nepali migrant workers died in Malaysia between 2018 and May 2024, according to data from Suhakam, Malaysia's human rights commission. The figures underscore growing concerns about the welfare and working conditions of foreign labourers in the country.

Suicide and chronic illnesses were identified as among the leading causes of death among the Nepali workforce, highlighting potential mental health challenges and inadequate healthcare access faced by migrant workers. The data suggests systemic issues affecting the migrant labour population in Malaysia, a country heavily reliant on foreign workers across construction, manufacturing, and domestic service sectors.

Nepal is a significant source of migrant labour for Malaysia, with hundreds of thousands of Nepali nationals employed across various industries. The high mortality figures raise questions about workplace safety standards, living conditions, and access to medical care for migrant workers, many of whom work in demanding roles with limited social support networks.

The findings come amid ongoing international scrutiny of labour practices in Malaysia and the broader Southeast Asian region. Advocacy groups have previously raised concerns about working conditions, wage theft, and vulnerability to exploitation among migrant workers, issues that Suhakam's data appears to corroborate through its mortality analysis.