Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Malaysia
Malaysia: Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both was 521,047 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
521,047
Change on year
down 4.2%
World rank
53rd
of 222 countries
All-time high
576,189
in 2022
All-time low
308,562
in 1974
Years of data
56
1970–2025
Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Malaysia, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Malaysia is 521,047, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 4.2% on the previous year and up 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Malaysia peaked at 576,189 in 2022 and was at its lowest, 308,562, in 1974.
Malaysia ranks 53rd of 222 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 315,402 | — |
| 1971 | 315,266 | -0.0% |
| 1972 | 314,029 | -0.4% |
| 1973 | 311,146 | -0.9% |
| 1974 | 308,562 | -0.8% |
| 1975 | 311,067 | +0.8% |
| 1976 | 316,247 | +1.7% |
| 1977 | 323,374 | +2.3% |
| 1978 | 326,664 | +1.0% |
| 1979 | 331,010 | +1.3% |
| 1980 | 339,652 | +2.6% |
| 1981 | 347,667 | +2.4% |
| 1982 | 356,252 | +2.5% |
| 1983 | 365,853 | +2.7% |
| 1984 | 374,116 | +2.3% |
| 1985 | 383,627 | +2.5% |
| 1986 | 395,442 | +3.1% |
| 1987 | 410,778 | +3.9% |
| 1988 | 426,468 | +3.8% |
| 1989 | 438,613 | +2.8% |
| 1990 | 450,547 | +2.7% |
| 1991 | 471,353 | +4.6% |
| 1992 | 490,587 | +4.1% |
| 1993 | 492,219 | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 487,912 | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 484,709 | -0.7% |
| 1996 | 487,971 | +0.7% |
| 1997 | 499,177 | +2.3% |
| 1998 | 509,897 | +2.1% |
| 1999 | 521,229 | +2.2% |
| 2000 | 536,153 | +2.9% |
| 2001 | 546,749 | +2.0% |
| 2002 | 548,377 | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 544,163 | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 539,734 | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 538,163 | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 537,306 | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 538,909 | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 540,071 | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 536,952 | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 530,958 | -1.1% |
| 2011 | 532,211 | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 536,725 | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 530,336 | -1.2% |
| 2014 | 526,967 | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 517,775 | -1.7% |
| 2016 | 518,244 | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 529,723 | +2.2% |
| 2018 | 530,589 | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 554,914 | +4.6% |
| 2020 | 562,844 | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 564,198 | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 576,189 | +2.1% |
| 2023 | 561,227 | -2.6% |
| 2024 | 543,686 | -3.1% |
| 2025 | 521,047 | -4.2% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 521,047 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 97,289, 5.4× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 521,047 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 39,484, 13.2× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 317,277 | 308,562 | 331,010 | 10 |
| 1980s | 383,847 | 339,652 | 438,613 | 10 |
| 1990s | 489,560 | 450,547 | 521,229 | 10 |
| 2000s | 540,658 | 536,153 | 548,377 | 10 |
| 2010s | 530,844 | 517,775 | 554,914 | 10 |
| 2020s | 554,865 | 521,047 | 576,189 | 6 |
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 population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Malaysia?
- Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Malaysia was 521,047 in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population of the official entrance age to primary education, both recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 576,189 in 2022.
- What is the lowest population of the official entrance age to primary education, both recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 308,562 in 1974.
- How does Malaysia rank for population of the official entrance age to primary education, both?
- Malaysia ranks 53rd out of 222 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population of the official entrance age to primary education, both rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.6%. 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 Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release