Out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in Malaysia
Malaysia: Out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry was 75,584 in 2024. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in Malaysia, 1998–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Malaysia recorded 75,584 for out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in 2024.
The figure is down 18.4% on the previous year and down 15.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in Malaysia peaked at 156,806 in 1998 and was at its lowest, 69,294, in 2017.
That places Malaysia 45th out of 180 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 21 years of available data.
Out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 156,806 | — |
| 1999 | 83,340 | -46.9% |
| 2000 | 131,079 | +57.3% |
| 2002 | 131,044 | -0.0% |
| 2003 | 116,780 | -10.9% |
| 2004 | 130,620 | +11.9% |
| 2005 | 136,705 | +4.7% |
| 2006 | 133,878 | -2.1% |
| 2007 | 101,861 | -23.9% |
| 2008 | 106,919 | +5.0% |
| 2009 | 102,536 | -4.1% |
| 2010 | 86,953 | -15.2% |
| 2016 | 89,691 | +3.1% |
| 2017 | 69,294 | -22.7% |
| 2018 | 82,842 | +19.6% |
| 2019 | 98,854 | +19.3% |
| 2020 | 100,468 | +1.6% |
| 2021 | 128,630 | +28.0% |
| 2022 | 121,600 | -5.5% |
| 2023 | 92,573 | -23.9% |
| 2024 | 75,584 | -18.4% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 75,584 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 8,627, 8.8× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 75,584 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 9,233, 8.2× the median. (28 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 120,073 | 83,340 | 156,806 | 2 |
| 2000s | 121,269 | 101,861 | 136,705 | 9 |
| 2010s | 85,527 | 69,294 | 98,854 | 5 |
| 2020s | 103,771 | 75,584 | 128,630 | 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, one year before the official primary entry in Malaysia?
- Out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in Malaysia was 75,584 in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 156,806 in 1998.
- What is the lowest out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 69,294 in 2017.
- How does Malaysia rank for out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry?
- Malaysia ranks 45th out of 180 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malaysia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry age, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release