Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, both sexes in Malaysia
Malaysia: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, both sexes was 92.6% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, both sexes in Malaysia, 1991–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Malaysia recorded 92.6% for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, both sexes in 2022. That is the highest value across all 8 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.3% on the previous year and up 4.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, both sexes in Malaysia peaked at 92.6% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 76.2%, in 1991.
Malaysia ranks 15th of 53 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, both sexes in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 76.2% | — |
| 2000 | 81.6% | +7.1% |
| 2010 | 89.1% | +9.2% |
| 2016 | 91.0% | +2.1% |
| 2017 | 91.1% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 91.3% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 91.5% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 92.6% | +1.3% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 92.6% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 91.9%, 1.0× the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 92.6% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 93.6%, 99% of the median. (7 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 76.2% | 76.2% | 76.2% | 1 |
| 2000s | 81.6% | 81.6% | 81.6% | 1 |
| 2010s | 90.8% | 89.1% | 91.5% | 5 |
| 2020s | 92.6% | 92.6% | 92.6% | 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 literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, both sexes in Malaysia?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, both sexes in Malaysia was 92.6% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, both sexes recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 92.6% in 2022.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, both sexes recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 76.2% in 1991.
- How does Malaysia rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, both sexes?
- Malaysia ranks 15th out of 53 countries with data for 2022.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, both sexes rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malaysia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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