Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Malaysia
Malaysia: Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions was 54.3% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Malaysia, 1998–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Malaysia stood at 54.3%.
That represents a change of down 7.8% on the previous year and down 12.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Malaysia peaked at 68.9% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 50.6%, in 2018.
Malaysia ranks 116th of 155 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 27 years of available data.
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 61.2% | — |
| 1999 | 67.1% | +9.7% |
| 2000 | 64.8% | -3.5% |
| 2001 | 67.8% | +4.7% |
| 2002 | 68.2% | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 68.9% | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 67.4% | -2.3% |
| 2005 | 64.5% | -4.2% |
| 2006 | 67.5% | +4.6% |
| 2007 | 63.9% | -5.4% |
| 2008 | 59.6% | -6.7% |
| 2009 | 59.4% | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 56.9% | -4.3% |
| 2011 | 63.0% | +10.8% |
| 2012 | 62.6% | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 62.0% | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 62.4% | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 51.8% | -17.0% |
| 2016 | 51.9% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 51.6% | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 50.6% | -2.0% |
| 2019 | 53.2% | +5.1% |
| 2020 | 56.7% | +6.6% |
| 2021 | 61.7% | +8.9% |
| 2022 | 61.2% | -0.9% |
| 2023 | 58.9% | -3.7% |
| 2024 | 54.3% | -7.8% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 54.3% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 72.0%, 75% of the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 54.3% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 76.1%, 71% of the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 64.2% | 61.2% | 67.1% | 2 |
| 2000s | 65.2% | 59.4% | 68.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 56.6% | 50.6% | 63.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 58.6% | 54.3% | 61.7% | 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 percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Malaysia?
- Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Malaysia was 54.3% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 68.9% in 2003.
- What is the lowest percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 50.6% in 2018.
- How does Malaysia rank for percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions?
- Malaysia ranks 116th out of 155 countries with data for 2024.
- Is percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.9%. 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 Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release