Education spending in Malaysia
Malaysia: Education spending was 3.51 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
3.51
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
126th
of 199 countries
All-time high
7.66
in 2002
All-time low
3.5
in 2022
Years of data
39
1971–2023
Education spending in Malaysia, 1971–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, education spending in Malaysia stood at 3.51.
The figure is up 0.4% on the previous year and down 35.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, education spending in Malaysia peaked at 7.66 in 2002 and was at its lowest, 3.5, in 2022.
Malaysia ranks 126th of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 39 years of available data.
Education spending in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 4.55 | — |
| 1979 | 5.09 | +11.8% |
| 1980 | 5.73 | +12.6% |
| 1981 | 6.7 | +17.0% |
| 1982 | 7.03 | +5.0% |
| 1984 | 5.67 | -19.4% |
| 1985 | 6.11 | +7.9% |
| 1986 | 7.24 | +18.5% |
| 1987 | 6.33 | -12.7% |
| 1992 | 5.11 | -19.2% |
| 1993 | 4.65 | -8.9% |
| 1994 | 4.71 | +1.1% |
| 1995 | 4.34 | -7.7% |
| 1996 | 4.91 | +13.2% |
| 1997 | 4.62 | -6.0% |
| 1999 | 5.69 | +23.1% |
| 2000 | 5.97 | +5.0% |
| 2001 | 7.48 | +25.3% |
| 2002 | 7.66 | +2.3% |
| 2003 | 7.5 | -2.0% |
| 2004 | 5.92 | -21.0% |
| 2006 | 4.49 | -24.3% |
| 2007 | 4.37 | -2.5% |
| 2008 | 3.96 | -9.5% |
| 2009 | 5.97 | +50.9% |
| 2010 | 4.97 | -16.9% |
| 2011 | 5.76 | +16.0% |
| 2012 | 5.74 | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 5.48 | -4.5% |
| 2014 | 5.21 | -4.9% |
| 2015 | 4.89 | -6.1% |
| 2016 | 4.75 | -2.9% |
| 2017 | 4.68 | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 4.48 | -4.2% |
| 2019 | 4.16 | -7.2% |
| 2020 | 3.91 | -5.9% |
| 2021 | 4.26 | +8.9% |
| 2022 | 3.5 | -17.9% |
| 2023 | 3.51 | +0.4% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 3.51 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.25, 83% of the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 3.51 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 4.25, 83% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.82 | 4.55 | 5.09 | 2 |
| 1980s | 6.4 | 5.67 | 7.24 | 7 |
| 1990s | 4.86 | 4.34 | 5.69 | 7 |
| 2000s | 5.93 | 3.96 | 7.66 | 9 |
| 2010s | 5.01 | 4.16 | 5.76 | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.8 | 3.5 | 4.26 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
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 education spending in Malaysia?
- Education spending in Malaysia was 3.51 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest education spending recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 7.66 in 2002.
- What is the lowest education spending recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.5 in 2022.
- How does Malaysia rank for education spending?
- Malaysia ranks 126th out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
- Is education spending rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 35.9%. 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 Education spending. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 39 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).