Primary education, pupils in Malaysia
Malaysia: Primary education, pupils was 3.06 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
3.06 million
Change on year
down 1.2%
World rank
50th
of 206 countries
All-time high
3.25 million
in 2013
All-time low
1.68 million
in 1970
Years of data
48
1970–2024
Primary education, pupils in Malaysia, 1970–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Analysis
In 2024, primary education, pupils in Malaysia stood at 3.06 million.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.2% on the previous year and down 3.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary education, pupils in Malaysia peaked at 3.25 million in 2013 and was at its lowest, 1.68 million, in 1970.
Malaysia ranks 50th of 206 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 48 years of available data.
Primary education, pupils in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1.68 million | — |
| 1975 | 1.89 million | +12.4% |
| 1977 | 1.93 million | +1.9% |
| 1978 | 1.97 million | +2.0% |
| 1979 | 1.99 million | +0.9% |
| 1980 | 2.01 million | +1.1% |
| 1981 | 2.03 million | +1.3% |
| 1982 | 2.07 million | +1.9% |
| 1983 | 2.12 million | +2.3% |
| 1984 | 2.15 million | +1.4% |
| 1985 | 2.20 million | +2.3% |
| 1987 | 2.27 million | +3.4% |
| 1988 | 2.34 million | +2.8% |
| 1989 | 2.40 million | +2.5% |
| 1990 | 2.46 million | +2.4% |
| 1991 | 2.54 million | +3.5% |
| 1992 | 2.63 million | +3.4% |
| 1993 | 2.69 million | +2.6% |
| 1994 | 2.74 million | +1.9% |
| 1995 | 2.80 million | +2.0% |
| 1996 | 2.86 million | +2.0% |
| 1998 | 2.89 million | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 2.91 million | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 3.03 million | +3.9% |
| 2001 | 3.03 million | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 3.01 million | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 3.06 million | +1.6% |
| 2004 | 3.16 million | +3.4% |
| 2005 | 3.20 million | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 3.22 million | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 3.22 million | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 3.23 million | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 3.23 million | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 3.23 million | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 3.24 million | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 3.24 million | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 3.25 million | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 3.18 million | -2.1% |
| 2015 | 3.11 million | -2.2% |
| 2016 | 3.10 million | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 3.08 million | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 3.07 million | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 3.07 million | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 3.08 million | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 3.09 million | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 3.02 million | -2.1% |
| 2023 | 3.09 million | +2.2% |
| 2024 | 3.06 million | -1.2% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 3.06 million is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 519,452, 5.9× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 3.06 million is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 227,656, 13.4× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.89 million | 1.68 million | 1.99 million | 5 |
| 1980s | 2.18 million | 2.01 million | 2.40 million | 9 |
| 1990s | 2.72 million | 2.46 million | 2.91 million | 9 |
| 2000s | 3.14 million | 3.01 million | 3.23 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.16 million | 3.07 million | 3.25 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.07 million | 3.02 million | 3.09 million | 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 primary education, pupils in Malaysia?
- Primary education, pupils in Malaysia was 3.06 million in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest primary education, pupils recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 3.25 million in 2013.
- What is the lowest primary education, pupils recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.68 million in 1970.
- How does Malaysia rank for primary education, pupils?
- Malaysia ranks 50th out of 206 countries with data for 2024.
- Is primary education, pupils rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malaysia data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Primary education, pupils. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 48 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Primary education pupils is the total number of pupils enrolled at primary level in public and private schools.