School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Malaysia
Malaysia: School age population, one year before the official primary entry was 245,829 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
245,829
Change on year
down 6.8%
World rank
54th
of 222 countries
All-time high
296,334
in 2021
All-time low
157,413
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
In 2025, school age population, one year before the official primary entry in Malaysia stood at 245,829.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 6.8% on the previous year and down 7.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, one year before the official primary entry in Malaysia peaked at 296,334 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 157,413, in 1973.
Malaysia ranks 54th 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 | 161,318 | — |
| 1971 | 160,204 | -0.7% |
| 1972 | 158,730 | -0.9% |
| 1973 | 157,413 | -0.8% |
| 1974 | 158,717 | +0.8% |
| 1975 | 161,499 | +1.8% |
| 1976 | 165,320 | +2.4% |
| 1977 | 167,038 | +1.0% |
| 1978 | 169,328 | +1.4% |
| 1979 | 173,851 | +2.7% |
| 1980 | 176,918 | +1.8% |
| 1981 | 181,162 | +2.4% |
| 1982 | 186,136 | +2.7% |
| 1983 | 190,571 | +2.4% |
| 1984 | 195,701 | +2.7% |
| 1985 | 201,705 | +3.1% |
| 1986 | 209,948 | +4.1% |
| 1987 | 218,227 | +3.9% |
| 1988 | 224,944 | +3.1% |
| 1989 | 231,609 | +3.0% |
| 1990 | 242,115 | +4.5% |
| 1991 | 252,750 | +4.4% |
| 1992 | 255,058 | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 252,704 | -0.9% |
| 1994 | 251,020 | -0.7% |
| 1995 | 252,316 | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 256,340 | +1.6% |
| 1997 | 260,474 | +1.6% |
| 1998 | 267,280 | +2.6% |
| 1999 | 275,795 | +3.2% |
| 2000 | 280,398 | +1.7% |
| 2001 | 281,928 | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 282,242 | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 280,519 | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 278,219 | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 276,499 | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 277,507 | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 278,448 | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 277,016 | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 273,948 | -1.1% |
| 2010 | 273,308 | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 275,900 | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 273,654 | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 271,119 | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 266,009 | -1.9% |
| 2015 | 265,105 | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 270,794 | +2.1% |
| 2017 | 272,104 | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 284,488 | +4.6% |
| 2019 | 288,433 | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 291,540 | +1.1% |
| 2021 | 296,334 | +1.6% |
| 2022 | 287,218 | -3.1% |
| 2023 | 276,468 | -3.7% |
| 2024 | 263,789 | -4.6% |
| 2025 | 245,829 | -6.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 163,342 | 157,413 | 173,851 | 10 |
| 1980s | 201,692 | 176,918 | 231,609 | 10 |
| 1990s | 256,585 | 242,115 | 275,795 | 10 |
| 2000s | 278,672 | 273,948 | 282,242 | 10 |
| 2010s | 274,091 | 265,105 | 288,433 | 10 |
| 2020s | 276,863 | 245,829 | 296,334 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More education data for Malaysia
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.48 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), annual growth rate -2.01 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), per capita 0.0416 units per person (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.58 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate -0.4237 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), per capita 0.0444 units per person (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 2.64 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 0.5628 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 273,792 (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 7.51 % 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 245,829 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 296,334 in 2021.
- What is the lowest school age population, one year before the official primary entry recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 157,413 in 1973.
- How does Malaysia rank for school age population, one year before the official primary entry?
- Malaysia ranks 54th 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 7.3%. 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 School age population, one year before the official primary entry age, male (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