Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Malaysia
Malaysia: Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions was 41.5% 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 41.5%.
That represents a change of down 1.4% on the previous year and up 0.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Malaysia peaked at 47.3% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 40.8%, in 2013.
Malaysia ranks 100th of 149 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 13 years of available data.
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 47.3% | — |
| 2013 | 40.8% | -13.8% |
| 2014 | 41.5% | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 42.3% | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 43.0% | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 43.0% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 43.0% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 42.6% | -0.9% |
| 2020 | 42.0% | -1.3% |
| 2021 | 42.8% | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 42.3% | -1.0% |
| 2023 | 42.1% | -0.7% |
| 2024 | 41.5% | -1.4% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 41.5% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 41.2%, 1.0× the median. (41 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 41.5% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 43.2%, 96% of the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 47.3% | 47.3% | 47.3% | 1 |
| 2010s | 42.3% | 40.8% | 43.0% | 7 |
| 2020s | 42.1% | 41.5% | 42.8% | 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 percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Malaysia?
- Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Malaysia was 41.5% 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 47.3% in 1998.
- What is the lowest percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 40.8% in 2013.
- How does Malaysia rank for percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions?
- Malaysia ranks 100th 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 up 0.0%. 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, male (%). 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