Literacy rate vs. average years of schooling in Malaysia
Malaysia: Literacy rate vs. average years of schooling was 95.8% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate vs. average years of schooling in Malaysia, 1950–2022
Source: UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Malaysia recorded 95.8% for literacy rate vs. average years of schooling in 2022. That is the highest value across all 10 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 2.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate vs. average years of schooling in Malaysia peaked at 95.8% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 37.5%, in 1950.
That places Malaysia 52nd out of 128 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 10 years of available data.
Literacy rate vs. average years of schooling in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 37.5% | — |
| 1980 | 69.5% | +85.4% |
| 1991 | 82.9% | +19.3% |
| 2000 | 88.7% | +7.0% |
| 2010 | 93.1% | +5.0% |
| 2016 | 94.9% | +1.9% |
| 2017 | 95.1% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 94.8% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 95.0% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 95.8% | +0.8% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 95.8% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 95.8%, 100% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 95.8% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 96.0%, 100% of the median. (18 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 37.5% | 37.5% | 37.5% | 1 |
| 1980s | 69.5% | 69.5% | 69.5% | 1 |
| 1990s | 82.9% | 82.9% | 82.9% | 1 |
| 2000s | 88.7% | 88.7% | 88.7% | 1 |
| 2010s | 94.6% | 93.1% | 95.1% | 5 |
| 2020s | 95.8% | 95.8% | 95.8% | 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 vs. average years of schooling in Malaysia?
- Literacy rate vs. average years of schooling in Malaysia was 95.8% in 2022, according to UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy rate vs. average years of schooling recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 95.8% in 2022.
- What is the lowest literacy rate vs. average years of schooling recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.5% in 1950.
- How does Malaysia rank for literacy rate vs. average years of schooling?
- Malaysia ranks 52nd out of 128 countries with data for 2022.
- Is literacy rate vs. average years of schooling rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malaysia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Literacy rate vs. average years of schooling. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of adults who can read and write a simple statement about their everyday life.