Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female in Malaysia
Malaysia: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female was 60.0% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Latest (2022)
60.0%
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
33rd
of 59 countries
All-time high
66.0%
in 1991
All-time low
60.0%
in 2018
Years of data
8
1991–2022
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female in Malaysia, 1991–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Malaysia recorded 60.0% for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 8 years on record.
That represents a change of down 7.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female in Malaysia peaked at 66.0% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 60.0%, in 2018.
Malaysia ranks 33rd of 59 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 66.0% | — |
| 2000 | 64.0% | -3.0% |
| 2010 | 65.0% | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 62.0% | -4.6% |
| 2017 | 62.0% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 60.0% | -3.2% |
| 2019 | 60.0% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 60.0% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 66.0% | 66.0% | 66.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 64.0% | 64.0% | 64.0% | 1 |
| 2010s | 61.8% | 60.0% | 65.0% | 5 |
| 2020s | 60.0% | 60.0% | 60.0% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More education data for Malaysia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 217,105 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 475,967 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 460,041 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.64 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.06 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.2 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0859 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female in Malaysia?
- Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female in Malaysia was 60.0% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 66.0% in 1991.
- What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 60.0% in 2018.
- How does Malaysia rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female?
- Malaysia ranks 33rd out of 59 countries with data for 2022.
- Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malaysia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 8 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release