Out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes in Malaysia
Malaysia: Out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes was 404,724 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
404,724
Change on year
up 31.0%
World rank
25th
of 204 countries
All-time high
419,775
in 2022
All-time low
87,056
in 2000
Years of data
31
1970–2024
Out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes in Malaysia, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes in Malaysia is 404,724, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of up 31.0% on the previous year and up 76.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes in Malaysia peaked at 419,775 in 2022 and was at its lowest, 87,056, in 2000.
Malaysia ranks 25th of 204 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.
Out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 138,174 | — |
| 1971 | 124,528 | -9.9% |
| 1972 | 96,877 | -22.2% |
| 1994 | 111,955 | +15.6% |
| 1998 | 121,397 | +8.4% |
| 1999 | 97,398 | -19.8% |
| 2000 | 87,056 | -10.6% |
| 2001 | 154,096 | +77.0% |
| 2002 | 229,189 | +48.7% |
| 2003 | 224,818 | -1.9% |
| 2004 | 142,038 | -36.8% |
| 2005 | 107,279 | -24.5% |
| 2006 | 178,184 | +66.1% |
| 2007 | 146,936 | -17.5% |
| 2008 | 138,396 | -5.8% |
| 2009 | 130,737 | -5.5% |
| 2010 | 151,224 | +15.7% |
| 2011 | 166,212 | +9.9% |
| 2012 | 175,024 | +5.3% |
| 2013 | 179,814 | +2.7% |
| 2014 | 229,155 | +27.4% |
| 2015 | 254,960 | +11.3% |
| 2016 | 258,741 | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 254,364 | -1.7% |
| 2018 | 250,219 | -1.6% |
| 2019 | 354,480 | +41.7% |
| 2020 | 389,154 | +9.8% |
| 2021 | 404,416 | +3.9% |
| 2022 | 419,775 | +3.8% |
| 2023 | 308,987 | -26.4% |
| 2024 | 404,724 | +31.0% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 404,724 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 21,296, 19.0× the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 404,724 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 4,225, 95.8× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 119,860 | 96,877 | 138,174 | 3 |
| 1990s | 110,250 | 97,398 | 121,397 | 3 |
| 2000s | 153,873 | 87,056 | 229,189 | 10 |
| 2010s | 227,419 | 151,224 | 354,480 | 10 |
| 2020s | 385,411 | 308,987 | 419,775 | 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 of primary school age, both sexes in Malaysia?
- Out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes in Malaysia was 404,724 in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 419,775 in 2022.
- What is the lowest out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 87,056 in 2000.
- How does Malaysia rank for out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes?
- Malaysia ranks 25th out of 204 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 76.6%. 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 of primary school age, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release