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 15.3% 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
The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Malaysia is 15.3%, measured in 2024.
The figure is up 3.3% on the previous year and up 43.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Malaysia peaked at 53.9% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 2.1%, in 1998.
Malaysia ranks 48th of 162 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
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 | 53.9% | — |
| 1971 | 48.7% | -9.6% |
| 1972 | 47.3% | -2.8% |
| 1998 | 2.1% | -95.6% |
| 1999 | 7.0% | +232.5% |
| 2000 | 6.7% | -3.8% |
| 2001 | 8.1% | +19.8% |
| 2002 | 9.6% | +18.4% |
| 2003 | 2.6% | -73.0% |
| 2004 | 4.4% | +72.2% |
| 2005 | 11.2% | +152.2% |
| 2006 | 9.1% | -18.6% |
| 2007 | 11.2% | +23.1% |
| 2008 | 10.2% | -8.7% |
| 2009 | 8.6% | -15.6% |
| 2010 | 7.5% | -13.6% |
| 2011 | 7.2% | -4.2% |
| 2012 | 8.7% | +22.1% |
| 2013 | 8.9% | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 10.7% | +20.3% |
| 2015 | 13.5% | +26.1% |
| 2016 | 16.7% | +23.5% |
| 2017 | 18.2% | +9.4% |
| 2018 | 19.9% | +9.1% |
| 2019 | 18.7% | -5.9% |
| 2020 | 17.8% | -4.8% |
| 2021 | 16.0% | -10.4% |
| 2022 | 15.1% | -5.5% |
| 2023 | 14.8% | -1.7% |
| 2024 | 15.3% | +3.3% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 15.3% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 7.9%, 1.9× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 15.3% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 6.3%, 2.4× the median. (26 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Malaysia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | +232.5% | 2.1% | 7.0% |
| 2005 | +152.2% | 4.4% | 11.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 50.0% | 47.3% | 53.9% | 3 |
| 1990s | 4.6% | 2.1% | 7.0% | 2 |
| 2000s | 8.2% | 2.6% | 11.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.0% | 7.2% | 19.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.8% | 14.8% | 17.8% | 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 15.3% 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 53.9% 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 2.1% in 1998.
- How does Malaysia rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age?
- Malaysia ranks 48th out of 162 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 43.1%. 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, female (%). 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