Literacy rates among adults in Malaysia
Malaysia: Literacy rates among adults was 95.8% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Literacy rates among adults in Malaysia, 1980–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2022, literacy rates among adults in Malaysia stood at 95.8%. That is the highest value across all 9 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 rates among adults in Malaysia peaked at 95.8% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 69.5%, in 1980.
That places Malaysia 33rd out of 89 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
- Duration of pre-primary education 2 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 4 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 70.7% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 21.3% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 90.4% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 273,792 (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 1.54 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 90.4% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rates among adults in Malaysia?
- Literacy rates among adults in Malaysia was 95.8% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy rates among adults recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 95.8% in 2022.
- What is the lowest literacy rates among adults recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 69.5% in 1980.
- How does Malaysia rank for literacy rates among adults?
- Malaysia ranks 33rd out of 89 countries with data for 2022.
- Is literacy rates among adults 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 Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Literacy rates among adults. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of the population aged 15 years and older who can read and write.