Current expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in tertiary in Malaysia
Malaysia: Current expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in tertiary was 82.2% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Current expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in tertiary in Malaysia, 1998–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2021, current expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in tertiary in Malaysia stood at 82.2%.
That represents a change of down 4.2% on the previous year and up 7.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, current expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in tertiary in Malaysia peaked at 99.4% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 48.6%, in 2001.
Malaysia ranks 90th of 113 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.
Current expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in tertiary in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 63.1% | — |
| 1999 | 61.7% | -2.2% |
| 2000 | 54.0% | -12.6% |
| 2001 | 48.6% | -10.0% |
| 2002 | 53.0% | +9.2% |
| 2003 | 64.2% | +21.0% |
| 2004 | 89.0% | +38.7% |
| 2006 | 78.5% | -11.7% |
| 2007 | 58.3% | -25.7% |
| 2008 | 99.4% | +70.3% |
| 2009 | 70.6% | -28.9% |
| 2010 | 66.6% | -5.7% |
| 2011 | 76.6% | +15.0% |
| 2012 | 82.6% | +7.9% |
| 2013 | 81.1% | -1.9% |
| 2016 | 86.7% | +7.0% |
| 2017 | 81.7% | -5.8% |
| 2018 | 83.5% | +2.3% |
| 2019 | 80.3% | -3.8% |
| 2020 | 85.8% | +6.7% |
| 2021 | 82.2% | -4.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 62.4% | 61.7% | 63.1% | 2 |
| 2000s | 68.4% | 48.6% | 99.4% | 9 |
| 2010s | 79.9% | 66.6% | 86.7% | 8 |
| 2020s | 84.0% | 82.2% | 85.8% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
- 87 Azerbaijan 83.7% compare
- 88 Israel 82.6% compare
- 89 Nepal 82.4% compare
- 91 Bangladesh 81.2% compare
- 92 Sierra Leone 80.6% compare
- 93 Côte d'Ivoire 79.8% 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 current expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in tertiary in Malaysia?
- Current expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in tertiary in Malaysia was 82.2% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest current expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in tertiary recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 99.4% in 2008.
- What is the lowest current expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in tertiary recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 48.6% in 2001.
- How does Malaysia rank for current expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in tertiary?
- Malaysia ranks 90th out of 113 countries with data for 2021.
- Is current expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in tertiary rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.3%. 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 Current expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in tertiary public institutions (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release