Literacy in Malaysia
Malaysia: Literacy was 95.77 in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
95.77
Change on year
up 0.8%
World rank
33rd
of 89 countries
All-time high
95.77
in 2022
All-time low
69.52
in 1980
Years of data
9
1980–2022
Literacy in Malaysia, 1980–2022
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2022, literacy in Malaysia stood at 95.77. 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 in Malaysia peaked at 95.77 in 2022 and was at its lowest, 69.52, in 1980.
That places Malaysia 33rd out of 89 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
Literacy in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 69.52 | — |
| 1991 | 82.92 | +19.3% |
| 2000 | 88.69 | +7.0% |
| 2010 | 93.12 | +5.0% |
| 2016 | 94.88 | +1.9% |
| 2017 | 95.08 | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 94.85 | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 94.97 | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 95.77 | +0.8% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 95.77 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 95.55, 1.0× the median. (33 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 95.77 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 96.06, 100% of the median. (16 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 69.52 | 69.52 | 69.52 | 1 |
| 1990s | 82.92 | 82.92 | 82.92 | 1 |
| 2000s | 88.69 | 88.69 | 88.69 | 1 |
| 2010s | 94.58 | 93.12 | 95.08 | 5 |
| 2020s | 95.77 | 95.77 | 95.77 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More education data for Malaysia
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 88.9 (2024)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 88.03 (2024)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy in Malaysia?
- Literacy in Malaysia was 95.77 in 2022, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 95.77 in 2022.
- What is the lowest literacy recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 69.52 in 1980.
- How does Malaysia rank for literacy?
- Malaysia ranks 33rd out of 89 countries with data for 2022.
- Is literacy 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Literacy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 9 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).