Enrolment in primary education, both sexes in Malaysia
Malaysia: Enrolment in primary education, both sexes was 3.06 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
3.06 million
Change on year
down 1.2%
World rank
50th
of 218 countries
All-time high
3.25 million
in 2013
All-time low
1.68 million
in 1970
Years of data
48
1970–2024
Enrolment in primary education, both sexes in Malaysia, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2024, enrolment in primary education, both sexes in Malaysia stood at 3.06 million.
The figure is down 1.2% on the previous year and down 3.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, enrolment in primary education, both sexes in Malaysia peaked at 3.25 million in 2013 and was at its lowest, 1.68 million, in 1970.
That places Malaysia 50th out of 218 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 48 years of available data.
Enrolment in primary education, both sexes in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1.68 million | — |
| 1975 | 1.89 million | +12.4% |
| 1977 | 1.93 million | +1.9% |
| 1978 | 1.97 million | +2.0% |
| 1979 | 1.99 million | +0.9% |
| 1980 | 2.01 million | +1.1% |
| 1981 | 2.03 million | +1.3% |
| 1982 | 2.07 million | +1.9% |
| 1983 | 2.12 million | +2.3% |
| 1984 | 2.15 million | +1.4% |
| 1985 | 2.20 million | +2.3% |
| 1987 | 2.27 million | +3.4% |
| 1988 | 2.34 million | +2.8% |
| 1989 | 2.40 million | +2.5% |
| 1990 | 2.46 million | +2.4% |
| 1991 | 2.54 million | +3.5% |
| 1992 | 2.63 million | +3.4% |
| 1993 | 2.69 million | +2.6% |
| 1994 | 2.74 million | +1.9% |
| 1995 | 2.80 million | +2.0% |
| 1996 | 2.86 million | +2.0% |
| 1998 | 2.89 million | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 2.91 million | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 3.03 million | +3.9% |
| 2001 | 3.03 million | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 3.01 million | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 3.06 million | +1.6% |
| 2004 | 3.16 million | +3.4% |
| 2005 | 3.20 million | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 3.22 million | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 3.22 million | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 3.23 million | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 3.23 million | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 3.23 million | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 3.24 million | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 3.24 million | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 3.25 million | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 3.18 million | -2.1% |
| 2015 | 3.11 million | -2.2% |
| 2016 | 3.10 million | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 3.08 million | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 3.07 million | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 3.07 million | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 3.08 million | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 3.09 million | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 3.02 million | -2.1% |
| 2023 | 3.09 million | +2.2% |
| 2024 | 3.06 million | -1.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.89 million | 1.68 million | 1.99 million | 5 |
| 1980s | 2.18 million | 2.01 million | 2.40 million | 9 |
| 1990s | 2.72 million | 2.46 million | 2.91 million | 9 |
| 2000s | 3.14 million | 3.01 million | 3.23 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.16 million | 3.07 million | 3.25 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.07 million | 3.02 million | 3.09 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More education data for Malaysia
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 2.8 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 191,898 (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 81,894 (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 660,174 (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 3.48 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 507,807 (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) 1.93 % change on previous year (2024)
- Theoretical duration of primary education (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of pre-primary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (pre-primary to post-secondary non) 0.0494 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is enrolment in primary education, both sexes in Malaysia?
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes in Malaysia was 3.06 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest enrolment in primary education, both sexes recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 3.25 million in 2013.
- What is the lowest enrolment in primary education, both sexes recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.68 million in 1970.
- How does Malaysia rank for enrolment in primary education, both sexes?
- Malaysia ranks 50th out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
- Is enrolment in primary education, both sexes rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.9%. 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 Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 48 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release