Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Malaysia
Malaysia: Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions was 58.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Malaysia, 1998–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Malaysia is 58.5%, measured in 2024.
The figure is up 1.0% on the previous year and down 0.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Malaysia peaked at 59.2% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 52.7%, in 1998.
That places Malaysia 50th out of 149 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 52.7% | — |
| 2013 | 59.2% | +12.4% |
| 2014 | 58.5% | -1.1% |
| 2015 | 57.7% | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 57.0% | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 57.0% | -0.0% |
| 2018 | 57.0% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 57.4% | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 58.0% | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 57.2% | -1.3% |
| 2022 | 57.7% | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 57.9% | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 58.5% | +1.0% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 58.5% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 58.8%, 100% of the median. (41 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 58.5% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 56.8%, 1.0× the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 52.7% | 52.7% | 52.7% | 1 |
| 2010s | 57.7% | 57.0% | 59.2% | 7 |
| 2020s | 57.9% | 57.2% | 58.5% | 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 58.5% 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 59.2% in 2013.
- What is the lowest percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 52.7% in 1998.
- How does Malaysia rank for percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions?
- Malaysia ranks 50th out of 149 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 0.0%. 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 Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release