Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Malaysia
Malaysia: Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government was 14.1% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Malaysia, 1981–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in UIS calculation.
Analysis
The most recent figure for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Malaysia is 14.1%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 30.0% on the previous year and down 27.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Malaysia peaked at 25.9% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1981.
Malaysia ranks 76th of 197 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | UIS calculation | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 0.0% | — |
| 1982 | 0.0% | — |
| 1984 | 0.0% | — |
| 1985 | 0.0% | — |
| 1986 | 0.0% | — |
| 1987 | 0.0% | — |
| 1992 | 19.1% | — |
| 1993 | 17.3% | -9.4% |
| 1994 | 19.9% | +15.1% |
| 1995 | 19.5% | -2.1% |
| 1996 | 22.8% | +16.8% |
| 1997 | 20.1% | -11.9% |
| 1999 | 21.2% | +5.7% |
| 2000 | 21.4% | +1.0% |
| 2001 | 24.3% | +13.8% |
| 2002 | 25.9% | +6.4% |
| 2003 | 24.5% | -5.3% |
| 2004 | 21.0% | -14.4% |
| 2006 | 16.7% | -20.3% |
| 2007 | 16.1% | -3.7% |
| 2008 | 14.0% | -12.9% |
| 2009 | 18.5% | +31.5% |
| 2010 | 18.4% | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 21.0% | +14.0% |
| 2012 | 19.9% | -5.4% |
| 2013 | 19.5% | -2.0% |
| 2014 | 19.8% | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 19.8% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 20.8% | +4.9% |
| 2017 | 21.2% | +2.0% |
| 2018 | 19.6% | -7.4% |
| 2019 | 17.6% | -10.2% |
| 2020 | 15.6% | -11.4% |
| 2021 | 20.5% | +31.0% |
| 2022 | 20.1% | -1.5% |
| 2023 | 14.1% | -30.0% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 14.1% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 13.2%, 1.1× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 14.1% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 12.3%, 1.1× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 6 |
| 1990s | 20.0% | 17.3% | 22.8% | 7 |
| 2000s | 20.3% | 14.0% | 25.9% | 9 |
| 2010s | 19.8% | 17.6% | 21.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.6% | 14.1% | 20.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
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 expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Malaysia?
- Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Malaysia was 14.1% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 25.9% in 2002.
- What is the lowest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1981.
- How does Malaysia rank for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government?
- Malaysia ranks 76th out of 197 countries with data for 2023.
- Is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.5%. 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 Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government expenditure (%) (UIS calculation). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release