Expenditure on school books and teaching material as % of total in Malaysia
Malaysia: Expenditure on school books and teaching material as % of total was 1.3% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Expenditure on school books and teaching material as % of total in Malaysia, 2012–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Malaysia recorded 1.3% for expenditure on school books and teaching material as % of total in 2021. That is the lowest value across all 10 years on record.
The figure is down 19.9% on the previous year and down 62.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, expenditure on school books and teaching material as % of total in Malaysia peaked at 3.4% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 1.3%, in 2021.
That places Malaysia 25th out of 45 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
Expenditure on school books and teaching material as % of total in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 3.4% | — |
| 2013 | 2.1% | -36.3% |
| 2014 | 2.3% | +7.2% |
| 2015 | 2.3% | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 1.6% | -30.7% |
| 2017 | 1.6% | +2.1% |
| 2018 | 1.6% | -3.4% |
| 2019 | 1.5% | -4.2% |
| 2020 | 1.6% | +2.8% |
| 2021 | 1.3% | -19.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 2.1% | 1.5% | 3.4% | 8 |
| 2020s | 1.4% | 1.3% | 1.6% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
- 22 Paraguay 1.5% compare
- 23 Lao People's Democratic Republic 1.4%
- 24 Oman 1.3% compare
- 26 South Africa 1.2% compare
- 27 Ethiopia 1.1%
- 28 Senegal 0.9% compare
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 school books and teaching material as % of total in Malaysia?
- Expenditure on school books and teaching material as % of total in Malaysia was 1.3% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest expenditure on school books and teaching material as % of total recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 3.4% in 2012.
- What is the lowest expenditure on school books and teaching material as % of total recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.3% in 2021.
- How does Malaysia rank for expenditure on school books and teaching material as % of total?
- Malaysia ranks 25th out of 45 countries with data for 2021.
- Is expenditure on school books and teaching material as % of total rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 62.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malaysia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Expenditure on school books and teaching material as % of total expenditure in primary public institutions (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release