Productivity vs. educational attainment in Malaysia
Malaysia: Productivity vs. educational attainment was 29.75 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
29.75 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour
Change on year
up 2.8%
World rank
60th
of 130 countries
All-time high
29.75 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour
in 2023
All-time low
5.98 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour
in 1970
Years of data
54
1970–2023
Productivity vs. educational attainment in Malaysia, 1970–2023
Source: Feenstra et al. – Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in international-$ in 2021 prices per hour.
Analysis
In 2023, productivity vs. educational attainment in Malaysia stood at 29.75 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour. That is the highest value across all 54 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.8% on the previous year and up 15.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, productivity vs. educational attainment in Malaysia peaked at 29.75 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in 2023 and was at its lowest, 5.98 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour, in 1970.
That places Malaysia 60th out of 130 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 54 years of available data.
Productivity vs. educational attainment in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 5.98 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | — |
| 1971 | 7.03 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +17.6% |
| 1972 | 7.28 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +3.6% |
| 1973 | 7.88 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +8.2% |
| 1974 | 8.39 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +6.5% |
| 1975 | 7.84 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -6.5% |
| 1976 | 8.03 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +2.4% |
| 1977 | 8.52 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +6.1% |
| 1978 | 8.96 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +5.2% |
| 1979 | 9.39 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +4.7% |
| 1980 | 9.9 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +5.4% |
| 1981 | 10.02 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +1.2% |
| 1982 | 10.24 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +2.2% |
| 1983 | 10.48 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +2.3% |
| 1984 | 10.98 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +4.8% |
| 1985 | 10.1 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -8.0% |
| 1986 | 9.23 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -8.7% |
| 1987 | 9.68 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +4.9% |
| 1988 | 10.25 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +5.9% |
| 1989 | 10.92 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +6.6% |
| 1990 | 11.82 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +8.2% |
| 1991 | 12.73 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +7.7% |
| 1992 | 13.17 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +3.5% |
| 1993 | 13.83 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +5.0% |
| 1994 | 14.58 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +5.5% |
| 1995 | 15.66 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +7.4% |
| 1996 | 16.57 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +5.8% |
| 1997 | 16.95 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +2.3% |
| 1998 | 14.47 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -14.6% |
| 1999 | 14.77 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +2.1% |
| 2000 | 16.22 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +9.8% |
| 2001 | 15.89 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -2.0% |
| 2002 | 16.22 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +2.0% |
| 2003 | 16.83 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +3.8% |
| 2004 | 18.22 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +8.3% |
| 2005 | 20.32 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +11.5% |
| 2006 | 20.28 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 22.04 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +8.7% |
| 2008 | 24.97 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +13.3% |
| 2009 | 22.96 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -8.0% |
| 2010 | 23.31 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 24.12 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +3.5% |
| 2012 | 25.98 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +7.7% |
| 2013 | 25.79 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 25.38 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -1.6% |
| 2015 | 24.52 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -3.4% |
| 2016 | 25.21 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +2.8% |
| 2017 | 25.78 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +2.3% |
| 2018 | 27.85 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +8.0% |
| 2019 | 27.19 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -2.4% |
| 2020 | 28.71 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +5.6% |
| 2021 | 28.22 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -1.7% |
| 2022 | 28.95 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +2.6% |
| 2023 | 29.75 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +2.8% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 29.75 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 20.42 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour, 1.5× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 29.75 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 24.39 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour, 1.2× the median. (14 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 7.93 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 5.98 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 9.39 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 10 |
| 1980s | 10.18 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 9.23 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 10.98 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 10 |
| 1990s | 14.45 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 11.82 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 16.95 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 10 |
| 2000s | 19.39 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 15.89 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 24.97 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.51 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 23.31 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 27.85 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 10 |
| 2020s | 28.91 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 28.22 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 29.75 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
- 57 Gabon 33.27 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
- 58 Chile 32.02 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
- 59 Mauritius 29.83 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
- 61 Oman 29.44 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
- 62 Egypt 28.79 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
- 63 North Macedonia 27.97 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
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 productivity vs. educational attainment in Malaysia?
- Productivity vs. educational attainment in Malaysia was 29.75 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in 2023, according to Feenstra et al. – Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest productivity vs. educational attainment recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 29.75 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in 2023.
- What is the lowest productivity vs. educational attainment recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.98 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in 1970.
- How does Malaysia rank for productivity vs. educational attainment?
- Malaysia ranks 60th out of 130 countries with data for 2023.
- Is productivity vs. educational attainment rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malaysia data come from?
- The figures come from Feenstra et al. – Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Productivity vs. educational attainment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Productivity is calculated as GDP divided by the total number of hours worked in the economy. This data is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.