Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Malaysia
Malaysia: Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age was 18.0% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Malaysia, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Malaysia stood at 18.0%.
That represents a change of up 3.8% on the previous year and up 26.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Malaysia peaked at 44.5% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 5.1%, in 1998.
That places Malaysia 45th out of 183 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 44.5% | — |
| 1971 | 40.5% | -9.0% |
| 1972 | 37.9% | -6.4% |
| 1998 | 5.1% | -86.4% |
| 1999 | 9.0% | +74.0% |
| 2000 | 9.6% | +7.1% |
| 2001 | 10.5% | +10.0% |
| 2002 | 12.7% | +20.3% |
| 2003 | 7.0% | -45.2% |
| 2004 | 8.2% | +18.2% |
| 2005 | 13.1% | +59.0% |
| 2006 | 10.9% | -16.5% |
| 2007 | 13.0% | +18.7% |
| 2008 | 12.3% | -5.2% |
| 2009 | 10.9% | -11.2% |
| 2010 | 9.8% | -10.5% |
| 2011 | 9.9% | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 11.4% | +15.3% |
| 2013 | 12.0% | +5.1% |
| 2014 | 14.2% | +18.3% |
| 2015 | 17.3% | +21.8% |
| 2016 | 20.0% | +15.6% |
| 2017 | 21.3% | +6.7% |
| 2018 | 23.1% | +8.1% |
| 2019 | 21.5% | -6.6% |
| 2020 | 20.4% | -5.4% |
| 2021 | 18.2% | -10.5% |
| 2022 | 17.3% | -4.9% |
| 2023 | 17.3% | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 18.0% | +3.8% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 18.0% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 7.5%, 2.4× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 18.0% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 6.2%, 2.9× the median. (30 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 41.0% | 37.9% | 44.5% | 3 |
| 1990s | 7.0% | 5.1% | 9.0% | 2 |
| 2000s | 10.8% | 7.0% | 13.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.0% | 9.8% | 23.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.2% | 17.3% | 20.4% | 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 rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Malaysia?
- Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Malaysia was 18.0% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 44.5% in 1970.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.1% in 1998.
- How does Malaysia rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age?
- Malaysia ranks 45th out of 183 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 26.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Malaysia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age, both sexes (%). 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