Percentage of teachers in primary education who are female in Malaysia
Malaysia: Percentage of teachers in primary education who are female was 70.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
70.1%
Change on year
down 1.2%
World rank
140th
of 212 countries
All-time high
70.9%
in 2023
All-time low
44.2%
in 1980
Years of data
43
1980–2024
Percentage of teachers in primary education who are female in Malaysia, 1980–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for percentage of teachers in primary education who are female in Malaysia is 70.1%, measured in 2024.
The figure is down 1.2% on the previous year and up 0.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of teachers in primary education who are female in Malaysia peaked at 70.9% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 44.2%, in 1980.
That places Malaysia 140th out of 212 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 43 years of available data.
Percentage of teachers in primary education who are female in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 44.2% | — |
| 1981 | 44.9% | +1.7% |
| 1982 | 45.8% | +2.0% |
| 1983 | 46.7% | +1.8% |
| 1984 | 48.0% | +2.8% |
| 1985 | 50.0% | +4.3% |
| 1987 | 53.3% | +6.6% |
| 1988 | 55.4% | +3.8% |
| 1989 | 56.0% | +1.1% |
| 1990 | 56.8% | +1.5% |
| 1991 | 57.2% | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 58.2% | +1.8% |
| 1993 | 58.9% | +1.2% |
| 1994 | 59.1% | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 59.6% | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 60.3% | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 62.9% | +4.3% |
| 1999 | 66.2% | +5.2% |
| 2000 | 66.2% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 66.9% | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 67.5% | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 66.3% | -1.8% |
| 2004 | 66.9% | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 65.7% | -1.8% |
| 2006 | 67.8% | +3.2% |
| 2007 | 68.4% | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 68.4% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 69.0% | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 68.7% | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 69.3% | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 69.2% | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 69.1% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 69.9% | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 69.5% | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 69.6% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 69.6% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 69.4% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 69.7% | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 69.8% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 70.6% | +1.3% |
| 2022 | 70.7% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 70.9% | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 70.1% | -1.2% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 70.1% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 79.4%, 88% of the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 70.1% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 76.1%, 92% of the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 49.4% | 44.2% | 56.0% | 9 |
| 1990s | 59.9% | 56.8% | 66.2% | 9 |
| 2000s | 67.3% | 65.7% | 69.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 69.4% | 68.7% | 69.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 70.4% | 69.8% | 70.9% | 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 teachers in primary education who are female in Malaysia?
- Percentage of teachers in primary education who are female in Malaysia was 70.1% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of teachers in primary education who are female recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 70.9% in 2023.
- What is the lowest percentage of teachers in primary education who are female recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 44.2% in 1980.
- How does Malaysia rank for percentage of teachers in primary education who are female?
- Malaysia ranks 140th out of 212 countries with data for 2024.
- Is percentage of teachers in primary education who are female rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.3%. 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 teachers in primary education who are female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release