Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, adjusted gender in Malaysia
Malaysia: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, adjusted gender was 0.98 GPIA in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
0.98 GPIA
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
26th
of 57 countries
All-time high
0.98 GPIA
in 2016
All-time low
0.9 GPIA
in 1991
Years of data
8
1991–2022
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, adjusted gender in Malaysia, 1991–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in GPIA.
Analysis
Malaysia recorded 0.98 GPIA for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, adjusted gender in 2022. That is the highest value across all 8 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, adjusted gender in Malaysia peaked at 0.98 GPIA in 2016 and was at its lowest, 0.9 GPIA, in 1991.
That places Malaysia 26th out of 57 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, adjusted gender in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | GPIA | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 0.9 GPIA | — |
| 2000 | 0.95 GPIA | +5.6% |
| 2010 | 0.96 GPIA | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 0.98 GPIA | +2.1% |
| 2017 | 0.98 GPIA | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 0.98 GPIA | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 0.98 GPIA | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 0.98 GPIA | +0.0% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 0.98 GPIA is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1 GPIA, 98% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 0.98 GPIA is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.99 GPIA, 99% of the median. (8 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.9 GPIA | 0.9 GPIA | 0.9 GPIA | 1 |
| 2000s | 0.95 GPIA | 0.95 GPIA | 0.95 GPIA | 1 |
| 2010s | 0.976 GPIA | 0.96 GPIA | 0.98 GPIA | 5 |
| 2020s | 0.98 GPIA | 0.98 GPIA | 0.98 GPIA | 1 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
- 26 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 0.98 GPIA compare
- 26 Indonesia 0.98 GPIA compare
- 26 Kuwait 0.98 GPIA compare
- 26 Palestine, State of 0.98 GPIA compare
- 26 Rwanda 0.98 GPIA compare
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, urban, adjusted gender in Malaysia?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, adjusted gender in Malaysia was 0.98 GPIA in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, adjusted gender recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.98 GPIA in 2016.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, adjusted gender recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9 GPIA in 1991.
- How does Malaysia rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, adjusted gender?
- Malaysia ranks 26th out of 57 countries with data for 2022.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, adjusted gender rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.1%. 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, urban, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release