Deputy Transport Minister Aziz Kaprawi said only 7.6 million have licences.
He said this in reply to a question from Johari Abdul (PKR-Sungai Petani) in the Dewan Rakyat here today.
Johari had asked on the number of registered motorcycles and unlicensed motorcyclists and the system of obtaining the licence, which he claimed was cumbersome.
He claimed the high cost deterred motorcyclists from acquiring a licence.
Aziz said, according to the Road Transport Department’s database, there were 12,089,747 motorcycles registered up to Dec 31, 2015.
Aziz said the government was very concerned about issues related to road safety, including the licensing procedures for drivers and riders.
He denied that the cost of obtaining a licence was the main factor for young people, especially students, to ride without a licence.
Aziz said it was more due to their attitude and lack of awareness of the risks of riding a motorcycle without a licence.