Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Malaysia
Malaysia: Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary was 398,389 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
398,389
Change on year
up 13.9%
World rank
22nd
of 170 countries
All-time high
419,520
in 2020
All-time low
137,450
in 1998
Years of data
30
1970–2024
Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Malaysia, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2024, out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Malaysia stood at 398,389.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 13.9% on the previous year and up 37.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Malaysia peaked at 419,520 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 137,450, in 1998.
Malaysia ranks 22nd of 170 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 30 years of available data.
Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 174,807 | — |
| 1971 | 168,892 | -3.4% |
| 1972 | 139,592 | -17.3% |
| 1998 | 137,450 | -1.5% |
| 1999 | 141,997 | +3.3% |
| 2000 | 162,229 | +14.2% |
| 2001 | 200,237 | +23.4% |
| 2002 | 258,778 | +29.2% |
| 2003 | 221,076 | -14.6% |
| 2004 | 188,913 | -14.5% |
| 2005 | 199,326 | +5.5% |
| 2006 | 237,845 | +19.3% |
| 2007 | 233,823 | -1.7% |
| 2008 | 214,297 | -8.4% |
| 2009 | 219,886 | +2.6% |
| 2010 | 198,099 | -9.9% |
| 2011 | 217,352 | +9.7% |
| 2012 | 234,179 | +7.7% |
| 2013 | 246,692 | +5.3% |
| 2014 | 289,773 | +17.5% |
| 2015 | 342,018 | +18.0% |
| 2016 | 359,744 | +5.2% |
| 2017 | 371,142 | +3.2% |
| 2018 | 383,464 | +3.3% |
| 2019 | 416,163 | +8.5% |
| 2020 | 419,520 | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 405,814 | -3.3% |
| 2022 | 403,858 | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 349,788 | -13.4% |
| 2024 | 398,389 | +13.9% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 398,389 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 22,713, 17.5× the median. (49 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 398,389 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 9,037, 44.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 161,097 | 139,592 | 174,807 | 3 |
| 1990s | 139,724 | 137,450 | 141,997 | 2 |
| 2000s | 213,641 | 162,229 | 258,778 | 10 |
| 2010s | 305,863 | 198,099 | 416,163 | 10 |
| 2020s | 395,474 | 349,788 | 419,520 | 5 |
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 out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Malaysia?
- Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Malaysia was 398,389 in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 419,520 in 2020.
- What is the lowest out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 137,450 in 1998.
- How does Malaysia rank for out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary?
- Malaysia ranks 22nd out of 170 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 37.5%. 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 Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, male (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 30 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release