School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Malaysia
Malaysia: School age population, one year before the official primary entry was 233,877 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
233,877
Change on year
down 8.2%
World rank
53rd
of 222 countries
All-time high
278,824
in 2021
All-time low
150,849
in 1973
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Malaysia, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Malaysia recorded 233,877 for school age population, one year before the official primary entry in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 8.2% on the previous year and down 5.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, one year before the official primary entry in Malaysia peaked at 278,824 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 150,849, in 1973.
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.
School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 154,782 | — |
| 1971 | 153,650 | -0.7% |
| 1972 | 152,176 | -1.0% |
| 1973 | 150,849 | -0.9% |
| 1974 | 152,025 | +0.8% |
| 1975 | 154,450 | +1.6% |
| 1976 | 157,813 | +2.2% |
| 1977 | 159,422 | +1.0% |
| 1978 | 161,516 | +1.3% |
| 1979 | 165,661 | +2.6% |
| 1980 | 168,422 | +1.7% |
| 1981 | 172,481 | +2.4% |
| 1982 | 177,020 | +2.6% |
| 1983 | 180,850 | +2.2% |
| 1984 | 185,134 | +2.4% |
| 1985 | 190,169 | +2.7% |
| 1986 | 196,696 | +3.4% |
| 1987 | 203,682 | +3.6% |
| 1988 | 209,219 | +2.7% |
| 1989 | 214,623 | +2.6% |
| 1990 | 224,186 | +4.5% |
| 1991 | 234,146 | +4.4% |
| 1992 | 235,829 | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 233,319 | -1.1% |
| 1994 | 230,909 | -1.0% |
| 1995 | 231,329 | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 237,480 | +2.7% |
| 1997 | 244,408 | +2.9% |
| 1998 | 248,808 | +1.8% |
| 1999 | 254,843 | +2.4% |
| 2000 | 261,924 | +2.8% |
| 2001 | 264,253 | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 260,628 | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 257,974 | -1.0% |
| 2004 | 257,829 | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 257,128 | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 257,392 | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 257,998 | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 256,758 | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 254,486 | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 254,491 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 257,410 | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 255,731 | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 253,271 | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 247,936 | -2.1% |
| 2015 | 246,381 | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 250,809 | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 251,629 | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 261,345 | +3.9% |
| 2019 | 265,067 | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 272,156 | +2.7% |
| 2021 | 278,824 | +2.5% |
| 2022 | 272,974 | -2.1% |
| 2023 | 266,218 | -2.5% |
| 2024 | 254,832 | -4.3% |
| 2025 | 233,877 | -8.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 156,234 | 150,849 | 165,661 | 10 |
| 1980s | 189,830 | 168,422 | 214,623 | 10 |
| 1990s | 237,526 | 224,186 | 254,843 | 10 |
| 2000s | 258,637 | 254,486 | 264,253 | 10 |
| 2010s | 254,407 | 246,381 | 265,067 | 10 |
| 2020s | 263,147 | 233,877 | 278,824 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More education data for Malaysia
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.35 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 2.83 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 936,008 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual -2.2 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 1.17 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 2.8 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 191,898 (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 81,894 (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 660,174 (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 3.48 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, one year before the official primary entry in Malaysia?
- School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Malaysia was 233,877 in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, one year before the official primary entry recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 278,824 in 2021.
- What is the lowest school age population, one year before the official primary entry recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 150,849 in 1973.
- How does Malaysia rank for school age population, one year before the official primary entry?
- Malaysia ranks 53rd out of 222 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, one year before the official primary entry rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.1%. 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 School age population, one year before the official primary entry age, female (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