Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Malaysia
Malaysia: Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes was 12.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
12.0%
Change on year
up 30.9%
World rank
45th
of 203 countries
All-time high
12.5%
in 2022
All-time low
2.8%
in 2000
Years of data
31
1970–2024
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Malaysia, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Malaysia stood at 12.0%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 30.9% on the previous year and up 70.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Malaysia peaked at 12.5% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 2.8%, in 2000.
That places Malaysia 45th out of 203 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 7.6% | — |
| 1971 | 6.8% | -11.1% |
| 1972 | 5.2% | -23.0% |
| 1994 | 3.9% | -25.0% |
| 1998 | 4.0% | +3.3% |
| 1999 | 3.2% | -21.0% |
| 2000 | 2.8% | -12.4% |
| 2001 | 4.8% | +72.9% |
| 2002 | 7.1% | +46.0% |
| 2003 | 6.9% | -2.9% |
| 2004 | 4.3% | -37.2% |
| 2005 | 3.3% | -24.6% |
| 2006 | 5.4% | +66.5% |
| 2007 | 4.5% | -17.2% |
| 2008 | 4.2% | -5.6% |
| 2009 | 4.0% | -5.6% |
| 2010 | 4.6% | +15.6% |
| 2011 | 5.1% | +9.8% |
| 2012 | 5.3% | +5.0% |
| 2013 | 5.5% | +2.8% |
| 2014 | 7.0% | +27.8% |
| 2015 | 7.8% | +12.0% |
| 2016 | 8.0% | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 7.9% | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 7.8% | -1.6% |
| 2019 | 10.9% | +39.6% |
| 2020 | 11.8% | +7.9% |
| 2021 | 12.1% | +3.0% |
| 2022 | 12.5% | +2.8% |
| 2023 | 9.1% | -26.6% |
| 2024 | 12.0% | +30.9% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 12.0% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 3.9%, 3.1× the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 12.0% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2.6%, 4.6× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6.5% | 5.2% | 7.6% | 3 |
| 1990s | 3.7% | 3.2% | 4.0% | 3 |
| 2000s | 4.7% | 2.8% | 7.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.0% | 4.6% | 10.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.5% | 9.1% | 12.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
- 42 Puerto Rico 13.3% compare
- 43 Ukraine 12.9% compare
- 44 Cote d'Ivoire 12.6% compare
- 46 Philippines 11.6% compare
- 47 Mauritania 11.3% compare
- 48 Macao 10.8% compare
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 children of primary school age, both sexes in Malaysia?
- Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Malaysia was 12.0% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 12.5% in 2022.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.8% in 2000.
- How does Malaysia rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes?
- Malaysia ranks 45th out of 203 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 70.9%. 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 rate for children of primary school age, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release