Children not in school in Malaysia
Malaysia: Children not in school was 14.57 in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
14.57
Change on year
down 14.6%
World rank
87th
of 179 countries
All-time high
30.38
in 1998
All-time low
13.23
in 2017
Years of data
21
1998–2024
Children not in school in Malaysia, 1998–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2024, children not in school in Malaysia stood at 14.57.
The figure is down 14.6% on the previous year and down 15.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, children not in school in Malaysia peaked at 30.38 in 1998 and was at its lowest, 13.23, in 2017.
That places Malaysia 87th out of 179 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 21 years of available data.
Children not in school in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 30.38 | — |
| 1999 | 15.71 | -48.3% |
| 2000 | 24.17 | +53.9% |
| 2002 | 24.14 | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 21.69 | -10.2% |
| 2004 | 24.37 | +12.4% |
| 2005 | 25.62 | +5.1% |
| 2006 | 25.03 | -2.3% |
| 2007 | 18.99 | -24.1% |
| 2008 | 20.03 | +5.5% |
| 2009 | 19.4 | -3.1% |
| 2010 | 16.47 | -15.1% |
| 2016 | 17.2 | +4.4% |
| 2017 | 13.23 | -23.1% |
| 2018 | 15.18 | +14.7% |
| 2019 | 17.86 | +17.7% |
| 2020 | 17.82 | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 22.36 | +25.5% |
| 2022 | 21.71 | -2.9% |
| 2023 | 17.06 | -21.4% |
| 2024 | 14.57 | -14.6% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 14.57 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 14.57, 1.0× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 14.57 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 13.05, 1.1× the median. (28 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 23.04 | 15.71 | 30.38 | 2 |
| 2000s | 22.6 | 18.99 | 25.62 | 9 |
| 2010s | 15.99 | 13.23 | 17.86 | 5 |
| 2020s | 18.71 | 14.57 | 22.36 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
- 84 Cape Verde 15.56 compare
- 85 El Salvador 15.4 compare
- 86 Nicaragua 14.87 compare
- 88 New Zealand 14.27 compare
- 89 Seychelles 13.92 compare
- 90 United States 13.49 compare
More education data for Malaysia
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 88.9 (2024)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 88.03 (2024)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is children not in school in Malaysia?
- Children not in school in Malaysia was 14.57 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest children not in school recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 30.38 in 1998.
- What is the lowest children not in school recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.23 in 2017.
- How does Malaysia rank for children not in school?
- Malaysia ranks 87th out of 179 countries with data for 2024.
- Is children not in school rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malaysia data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Children not in school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).