OBJECTIVES: It is estimated that there are 25 million cases of pneumonia worldwide with 63,500 deaths from the disease annually. Streptococcus pneumoniae (S.pneumonia) is one of the main pathogens that cause pneumonia. Apart from S.pneumonia, some other common pathogens include Haemophilus influenzae, Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae. However, pneumonia data from South East Asia is lacking. According to the Department of Statistics Malaysia, pneumonia is one of the top five causes of death in Malaysia. This study sought to describe pneumonia mortality in Malaysia using death statistics from the Department of Statistics Malaysia. METHODS: This study used death data from 2004 to 2008 obtained from Department of Statistics Malaysia. For the purpose of analysis, medically certified deaths that were due to pneumonia were analysed by age group. Pneumonia death rate was calculated against the population age cohorts for each year. Rates were reported in deaths per 100,000 population.  RESULTS: The average crude mortality rate in Malaysia for the period 2004 to 2008 ranged from 440.4 to 454.0 per 100,000 population. However, deaths attributed to pneumonia showed an increasing trend from 11.9 (2004), 12.9 (2005), 13.8 (2006), 15.6 (2007) and 19.3 (2008) per 100,000 population.  CONCLUSIONS: Deaths due to pneumonia over the period 2004 to 2008 have shown an increase even though the crude death rate has been stable during that time. Further analysis to determine pathogens and aetiology of the pneumonia deaths is warranted.