Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Malaysia
Malaysia: Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP was 3.5% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
3.5%
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
126th
of 199 countries
All-time high
7.7%
in 2002
All-time low
3.5%
in 2022
Years of data
39
1971–2023
Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Malaysia, 1971–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Malaysia recorded 3.5% for government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in 2023.
That represents a change of up 0.4% on the previous year and down 35.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Malaysia peaked at 7.7% 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.
Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 4.6% | — |
| 1979 | 5.1% | +11.8% |
| 1980 | 5.7% | +12.6% |
| 1981 | 6.7% | +17.0% |
| 1982 | 7.0% | +5.0% |
| 1984 | 5.7% | -19.4% |
| 1985 | 6.1% | +7.9% |
| 1986 | 7.2% | +18.5% |
| 1987 | 6.3% | -12.7% |
| 1992 | 5.1% | -19.2% |
| 1993 | 4.7% | -8.9% |
| 1994 | 4.7% | +1.1% |
| 1995 | 4.3% | -7.7% |
| 1996 | 4.9% | +13.2% |
| 1997 | 4.6% | -6.0% |
| 1999 | 5.7% | +23.1% |
| 2000 | 6.0% | +5.0% |
| 2001 | 7.5% | +25.3% |
| 2002 | 7.7% | +2.3% |
| 2003 | 7.5% | -2.0% |
| 2004 | 5.9% | -21.0% |
| 2006 | 4.5% | -24.3% |
| 2007 | 4.4% | -2.5% |
| 2008 | 4.0% | -9.5% |
| 2009 | 6.0% | +50.9% |
| 2010 | 5.0% | -16.9% |
| 2011 | 5.8% | +16.0% |
| 2012 | 5.7% | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 5.5% | -4.5% |
| 2014 | 5.2% | -4.9% |
| 2015 | 4.9% | -6.1% |
| 2016 | 4.8% | -2.9% |
| 2017 | 4.7% | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 4.5% | -4.2% |
| 2019 | 4.2% | -7.2% |
| 2020 | 3.9% | -5.9% |
| 2021 | 4.3% | +8.9% |
| 2022 | 3.5% | -17.9% |
| 2023 | 3.5% | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.8% | 4.6% | 5.1% | 2 |
| 1980s | 6.4% | 5.7% | 7.2% | 7 |
| 1990s | 4.9% | 4.3% | 5.7% | 7 |
| 2000s | 5.9% | 4.0% | 7.7% | 9 |
| 2010s | 5.0% | 4.2% | 5.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.8% | 3.5% | 4.3% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
- 123 Côte d'Ivoire 3.6% compare
- 124 Barbados 3.6% compare
- 125 Paraguay 3.5% compare
- 127 Macau, China 3.5% compare
- 128 Saint Kitts and Nevis 3.5% compare
- 129 Palau 3.4% 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 government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Malaysia?
- Government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Malaysia was 3.5% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 7.7% in 2002.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.5% in 2022.
- How does Malaysia rank for government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp?
- Malaysia ranks 126th out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp 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 UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release