Lower secondary completion rate, total in Malaysia

Malaysia: Lower secondary completion rate, total was 81.5% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
81.5%
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
115th
of 187 countries
All-time high
92.8%
in 1998
All-time low
73.1%
in 2018
Years of data
27
1998–2024

Lower secondary completion rate, total in Malaysia, 1998–2024

0204060801001998201120241998: 92.8 % of relevant age group1999: 84.9 % of relevant age group2000: 84.8 % of relevant age group2001: 83.2 % of relevant age group2002: 82.4 % of relevant age group2003: 91.9 % of relevant age group2004: 86.3 % of relevant age group2005: 81 % of relevant age group2006: 82.1 % of relevant age group2007: 83.2 % of relevant age group2008: 83.4 % of relevant age group2009: 82.9 % of relevant age group2010: 84.5 % of relevant age group2011: 86.6 % of relevant age group2012: 86.9 % of relevant age group2013: 82.5 % of relevant age group2014: 81.4 % of relevant age group2015: 81.9 % of relevant age group2016: 78.3 % of relevant age group2017: 76.9 % of relevant age group2018: 73.1 % of relevant age group2019: 73.9 % of relevant age group2020: 75.2 % of relevant age group2021: 79.5 % of relevant age group2022: 79.4 % of relevant age group2023: 81.8 % of relevant age group2024: 81.5 % of relevant age group

Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of relevant age group.

Analysis

In 2024, lower secondary completion rate, total in Malaysia stood at 81.5%.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% on the previous year and up 0.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, lower secondary completion rate, total in Malaysia peaked at 92.8% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 73.1%, in 2018.

Malaysia ranks 115th of 187 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 27 years of available data.

Lower secondary completion rate, total in Malaysia, year by year

Annual values for Lower secondary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group) in Malaysia, 1998 to 2024.
Year % of relevant age group Change
1998 92.8%
1999 84.9% -8.4%
2000 84.8% -0.2%
2001 83.2% -1.9%
2002 82.4% -1.0%
2003 91.9% +11.6%
2004 86.3% -6.1%
2005 81.0% -6.2%
2006 82.1% +1.4%
2007 83.2% +1.4%
2008 83.4% +0.2%
2009 82.9% -0.5%
2010 84.5% +1.9%
2011 86.6% +2.5%
2012 86.9% +0.4%
2013 82.5% -5.1%
2014 81.4% -1.4%
2015 81.9% +0.7%
2016 78.3% -4.5%
2017 76.9% -1.7%
2018 73.1% -4.9%
2019 73.9% +1.0%
2020 75.2% +1.7%
2021 79.5% +5.8%
2022 79.4% -0.1%
2023 81.8% +3.0%
2024 81.5% -0.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 88.9% 84.9% 92.8% 2
2000s 84.1% 81.0% 91.9% 10
2010s 80.6% 73.1% 86.9% 10
2020s 79.5% 75.2% 81.8% 5

Countries ranked near Malaysia

  1. 112 Saint Lucia 83.0% compare
  2. 113 Colombia 83.0% compare
  3. 114 Tunisia 82.4% compare
  4. 116 Guyana 81.3% compare
  5. 117 Azerbaijan 80.3% compare
  6. 118 Dominican Republic 79.7% compare

See the full ranking of 232 places →

More education data for Malaysia

All data for Malaysia →

Frequently asked questions

What is lower secondary completion rate, total in Malaysia?
Lower secondary completion rate, total in Malaysia was 81.5% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest lower secondary completion rate, total recorded in Malaysia?
The highest recorded value was 92.8% in 1998.
What is the lowest lower secondary completion rate, total recorded in Malaysia?
The lowest recorded value was 73.1% in 2018.
How does Malaysia rank for lower secondary completion rate, total?
Malaysia ranks 115th out of 187 countries with data for 2024.
Is lower secondary completion rate, total rising or falling in Malaysia?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Malaysia data come from?
The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Lower secondary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Lower secondary completion rate, total in Malaysia. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 28 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/lower-secondary-completion-rate-total-percent-of-relevant-age-group/malaysia/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://education.statizoid.com/stat/lower-secondary-completion-rate-total-percent-of-relevant-age-group/malaysia/">Lower secondary completion rate, total in Malaysia</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Lower secondary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group)
Unit
% of relevant age group
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
232 places, 5,918 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

Lower secondary education completion rate is measured as the gross intake ratio to the last grade of lower secondary education (general and pre-vocational). It is calculated as the number of new entrants in the last grade of lower secondary education, regardless of age, divided by the population at the entrance age for the last grade of lower secondary education.