Duration of compulsory education in Malaysia
Malaysia: Duration of compulsory education was 6 years in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
6 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
177th
of 200 countries
All-time high
6 years
in 2003
All-time low
6 years
in 2003
Years of data
23
2003–2025
Duration of compulsory education in Malaysia, 2003–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
Malaysia recorded 6 years for duration of compulsory education in 2025. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, duration of compulsory education in Malaysia peaked at 6 years in 2003 and was at its lowest, 6 years, in 2003.
Malaysia ranks 177th of 200 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 7 |
| 2010s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
- 177 Benin 6 years compare
- 177 Cameroon 6 years compare
- 177 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 6 years compare
- 177 Comoros, Union of the 6 years compare
- 177 Guinea 6 years compare
- 177 Equatorial Guinea, Republic of 6 years compare
- 177 Guyana 6 years compare
- 177 Haiti 6 years compare
- 177 Iraq 6 years compare
- 177 Jamaica 6 years compare
- 177 Liberia 6 years compare
- 177 Rwanda 6 years compare
- 177 Singapore 6 years compare
- 177 São Tomé and Príncipe, Democratic Republic of 6 years compare
- 177 Suriname 6 years compare
More education data for Malaysia
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 273,792 (2024)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 2 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 4 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 70.7% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 21.3% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 90.4% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, per capita 0.0077 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is duration of compulsory education in Malaysia?
- Duration of compulsory education in Malaysia was 6 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest duration of compulsory education recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 6 years in 2003.
- What is the lowest duration of compulsory education recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 6 years in 2003.
- How does Malaysia rank for duration of compulsory education?
- Malaysia ranks 177th out of 200 countries with data for 2025.
- Is duration of compulsory education rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. 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 Duration of compulsory education (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release