Malaysia vs South Africa: Share of population with no formal education

Malaysia
2.2%
in 2020
South Africa
1.9%
in 2020
Malaysia rank
65th
South Africa rank
68th

Share of population with no formal education over time

  • Malaysia
  • South Africa
020406080100187019452020

How they compare

Malaysia currently reports 2.2% against 1.9% in South Africa, a difference of 0.3%.

That makes Malaysia's figure about 1.2 times South Africa's.

The two have swapped places 4 times across 31 shared years of data; in 1870 it was Malaysia ahead.

Malaysia ranks 65th and South Africa ranks 68th of 111 countries.

Across the 16 decades both report, Malaysia averaged higher in 14 and South Africa in 2.

Head to head by decade

Decade Malaysia South Africa Difference Ahead
1870s 99.6% 86.4% 13.2% Malaysia
1880s 99.2% 81.0% 18.2% Malaysia
1890s 98.6% 76.8% 21.8% Malaysia
1900s 96.3% 78.5% 17.8% Malaysia
1910s 90.2% 76.5% 13.7% Malaysia
1920s 83.0% 65.2% 17.8% Malaysia
1930s 72.3% 58.2% 14.1% Malaysia
1940s 64.2% 52.9% 11.4% Malaysia
1950s 55.9% 47.7% 8.1% Malaysia
1960s 44.8% 43.0% 1.8% Malaysia
1970s 31.4% 33.8% 2.4% South Africa
1980s 21.5% 21.3% 0.2% Malaysia
1990s 13.3% 7.4% 5.9% Malaysia
2000s 7.9% 11.1% 3.2% South Africa
2010s 3.8% 3.5% 0.3% Malaysia
2020s 2.2% 1.9% 0.3% Malaysia

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher share of population with no formal education, Malaysia or South Africa?
Malaysia, at 2.2% against 1.9% in South Africa as of 2020.
What is the difference in share of population with no formal education between Malaysia and South Africa?
0.3%, with Malaysia ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Malaysia and South Africa?
31 years are reported by both, from 1870 to 2020.
How do Malaysia and South Africa rank globally for share of population with no formal education?
Malaysia ranks 65th and South Africa ranks 68th of 111 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of population with no formal education. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Malaysia vs South Africa: Share of population with no formal education. Statizoid, drawing on Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/share-of-population-15-years-and-older-with-no-education/malaysia/south-africa/

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<a href="https://education.statizoid.com/compare/share-of-population-15-years-and-older-with-no-education/malaysia/south-africa/">Malaysia vs South Africa: Share of population with no formal education</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Share of population with no formal education
Unit
%
Source
Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
111 places, 3,441 data points, 1870–2020
Last refreshed

The share of adults aged between 15 and 64 years old with no formal education.