Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Malaysia
Malaysia: Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP was 1.6% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Malaysia, 1971–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Malaysia is 1.6%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.8% on the previous year and down 11.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Malaysia peaked at 2.6% in 1986 and was at its lowest, 1.2%, in 1995.
That places Malaysia 53rd out of 162 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 37 years of available data.
Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 2.0% | — |
| 1979 | 1.8% | -9.3% |
| 1980 | 2.0% | +5.9% |
| 1981 | 2.1% | +9.8% |
| 1982 | 2.3% | +5.8% |
| 1984 | 2.1% | -9.3% |
| 1985 | 2.1% | +2.6% |
| 1986 | 2.6% | +21.5% |
| 1987 | 2.3% | -11.5% |
| 1992 | 1.8% | -22.2% |
| 1993 | 1.6% | -12.0% |
| 1994 | 1.6% | +5.6% |
| 1995 | 1.2% | -24.6% |
| 1996 | 1.5% | +24.6% |
| 1997 | 1.3% | -15.9% |
| 2000 | 1.6% | +24.8% |
| 2001 | 2.1% | +28.2% |
| 2002 | 2.4% | +14.8% |
| 2003 | 2.2% | -8.0% |
| 2004 | 1.8% | -20.2% |
| 2006 | 1.2% | -29.1% |
| 2007 | 1.3% | +4.9% |
| 2008 | 1.5% | +18.6% |
| 2009 | 1.7% | +6.9% |
| 2010 | 1.4% | -14.1% |
| 2011 | 1.7% | +18.8% |
| 2012 | 1.9% | +14.3% |
| 2013 | 1.8% | -8.6% |
| 2014 | 1.7% | -4.6% |
| 2015 | 1.6% | -3.3% |
| 2016 | 1.6% | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 1.6% | -1.7% |
| 2018 | 1.5% | -3.4% |
| 2019 | 1.5% | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 1.6% | +6.6% |
| 2022 | 1.5% | -9.0% |
| 2023 | 1.6% | +5.8% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 1.6% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.4%, 1.1× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 1.6% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.3%, 1.2× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.9% | 1.8% | 2.0% | 2 |
| 1980s | 2.2% | 2.0% | 2.6% | 7 |
| 1990s | 1.5% | 1.2% | 1.8% | 6 |
| 2000s | 1.8% | 1.2% | 2.4% | 9 |
| 2010s | 1.6% | 1.4% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.5% | 1.5% | 1.6% | 3 |
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 government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Malaysia?
- Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Malaysia was 1.6% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 2.6% in 1986.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.2% in 1995.
- How does Malaysia rank for government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp?
- Malaysia ranks 53rd out of 162 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.7%. 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 Government expenditure on primary 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