Duration of compulsory education (years) in Malaysia
Malaysia: Duration of compulsory education (years) was 6 years in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
6 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
182nd
of 206 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 182nd of 206 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Duration of compulsory education (years) in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 6 years | — |
| 2004 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 6 years | +0.0% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 6 years is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 10 years, 60% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 6 years is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 9 years, 67% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
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
- 182 Benin 6 years compare
- 182 Cameroon 6 years compare
- 182 Democratic Republic of Congo 6 years compare
- 182 Comoros 6 years compare
- 182 Guinea 6 years compare
- 182 Equatorial Guinea 6 years compare
- 182 Guyana 6 years compare
- 182 Haiti 6 years compare
- 182 Iraq 6 years compare
- 182 Jamaica 6 years compare
- 182 Liberia 6 years compare
- 182 Rwanda 6 years compare
- 182 Singapore 6 years compare
- 182 Sao Tome and Principe 6 years compare
- 182 Suriname 6 years 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 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 182nd out of 206 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