Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Malaysia
Malaysia: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes was 96.7% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Malaysia, 1980–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2022, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Malaysia stood at 96.7%. That is the highest value across all 9 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and up 2.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Malaysia peaked at 96.7% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 63.4%, in 1980.
Malaysia ranks 31st of 87 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 63.4% | — |
| 1991 | 81.7% | +28.8% |
| 2000 | 89.0% | +8.9% |
| 2010 | 94.5% | +6.3% |
| 2016 | 96.3% | +1.9% |
| 2017 | 96.7% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 96.6% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 96.7% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 96.7% | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 63.4% | 63.4% | 63.4% | 1 |
| 1990s | 81.7% | 81.7% | 81.7% | 1 |
| 2000s | 89.0% | 89.0% | 89.0% | 1 |
| 2010s | 96.2% | 94.5% | 96.7% | 5 |
| 2020s | 96.7% | 96.7% | 96.7% | 1 |
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 literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Malaysia?
- Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Malaysia was 96.7% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 96.7% in 2022.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 63.4% in 1980.
- How does Malaysia rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes?
- Malaysia ranks 31st out of 87 countries with data for 2022.
- Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.3%. 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 Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 9 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release