Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male in Malaysia
Malaysia: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male was 97.4% in 2022. ▬ Flat
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male in Malaysia, 1991–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Malaysia recorded 97.4% for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 0.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male in Malaysia peaked at 97.4% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 93.4%, in 1991.
That places Malaysia 23rd out of 57 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 93.4% | — |
| 2000 | 95.2% | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 97.0% | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 97.3% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 97.4% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 96.9% | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 97.0% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 97.4% | +0.5% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 97.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 97.4%, 1.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 97.4% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 98.8%, 99% of the median. (8 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 93.4% | 93.4% | 93.4% | 1 |
| 2000s | 95.2% | 95.2% | 95.2% | 1 |
| 2010s | 97.1% | 96.9% | 97.4% | 5 |
| 2020s | 97.4% | 97.4% | 97.4% | 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, urban, male in Malaysia?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male in Malaysia was 97.4% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 97.4% in 2017.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 93.4% in 1991.
- How does Malaysia rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male?
- Malaysia ranks 23rd out of 57 countries with data for 2022.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- 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, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release