Literacy rate in Malaysia
Malaysia: Literacy rate was 95.8% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate in Malaysia, 1950–2022
Source: UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for literacy rate in Malaysia is 95.8%, measured in 2022. That is the highest value across all 10 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.8% on the previous year and up 2.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate in Malaysia peaked at 95.8% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 37.5%, in 1950.
Malaysia ranks 51st of 128 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 10 years of available data.
Literacy rate in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 37.5% | — |
| 1980 | 69.5% | +85.4% |
| 1991 | 82.9% | +19.3% |
| 2000 | 88.7% | +7.0% |
| 2010 | 93.1% | +5.0% |
| 2016 | 94.9% | +1.9% |
| 2017 | 95.1% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 94.8% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 95.0% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 95.8% | +0.8% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 95.8% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 95.4%, 1.0× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 95.8% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 96.0%, 100% of the median. (18 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 37.5% | 37.5% | 37.5% | 1 |
| 1980s | 69.5% | 69.5% | 69.5% | 1 |
| 1990s | 82.9% | 82.9% | 82.9% | 1 |
| 2000s | 88.7% | 88.7% | 88.7% | 1 |
| 2010s | 94.6% | 93.1% | 95.1% | 5 |
| 2020s | 95.8% | 95.8% | 95.8% | 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 literacy rate in Malaysia?
- Literacy rate in Malaysia was 95.8% in 2022, according to UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy rate recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 95.8% in 2022.
- What is the lowest literacy rate recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.5% in 1950.
- How does Malaysia rank for literacy rate?
- Malaysia ranks 51st out of 128 countries with data for 2022.
- Is literacy rate rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malaysia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Literacy rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of adults who can read and write a simple statement about their everyday life.