School age population, primary education, both sexes (number) in Malaysia
Malaysia: School age population, primary education, both sexes (number) was 3.35 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
3.35 million
Change on year
down 1.1%
World rank
47th
of 222 countries
All-time high
3.38 million
in 2024
All-time low
1.81 million
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, primary education, both sexes in Malaysia, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Malaysia recorded 3.35 million for school age population, primary education, both sexes in 2025.
That represents a change of down 1.1% on the previous year and up 2.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, primary education, both sexes in Malaysia peaked at 3.38 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1.81 million, in 1970.
That places Malaysia 47th out of 222 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
School age population, primary education, both sexes (number) in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1.81 million | — |
| 1971 | 1.84 million | +1.4% |
| 1972 | 1.85 million | +1.0% |
| 1973 | 1.86 million | +0.5% |
| 1974 | 1.87 million | +0.1% |
| 1975 | 1.87 million | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 1.87 million | +0.1% |
| 1977 | 1.88 million | +0.5% |
| 1978 | 1.89 million | +0.7% |
| 1979 | 1.91 million | +1.1% |
| 1980 | 1.94 million | +1.6% |
| 1981 | 1.99 million | +2.5% |
| 1982 | 2.04 million | +2.5% |
| 1983 | 2.09 million | +2.5% |
| 1984 | 2.15 million | +2.6% |
| 1985 | 2.21 million | +2.7% |
| 1986 | 2.26 million | +2.6% |
| 1987 | 2.33 million | +2.9% |
| 1988 | 2.40 million | +3.1% |
| 1989 | 2.48 million | +3.2% |
| 1990 | 2.56 million | +3.3% |
| 1991 | 2.66 million | +3.7% |
| 1992 | 2.74 million | +3.4% |
| 1993 | 2.81 million | +2.3% |
| 1994 | 2.86 million | +1.8% |
| 1995 | 2.90 million | +1.5% |
| 1996 | 2.94 million | +1.3% |
| 1997 | 2.97 million | +1.1% |
| 1998 | 3.00 million | +1.0% |
| 1999 | 3.04 million | +1.5% |
| 2000 | 3.10 million | +2.0% |
| 2001 | 3.18 million | +2.4% |
| 2002 | 3.24 million | +1.9% |
| 2003 | 3.27 million | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 3.29 million | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 3.30 million | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 3.29 million | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 3.28 million | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 3.27 million | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 3.27 million | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 3.27 million | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 3.28 million | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 3.28 million | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 3.28 million | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 3.27 million | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 3.25 million | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 3.22 million | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 3.20 million | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 3.20 million | -0.0% |
| 2019 | 3.25 million | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 3.31 million | +1.7% |
| 2021 | 3.34 million | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 3.37 million | +1.0% |
| 2023 | 3.38 million | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 3.38 million | +0.1% |
| 2025 | 3.35 million | -1.1% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 3.35 million is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 510,283, 6.6× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 3.35 million is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 233,762, 14.3× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.87 million | 1.81 million | 1.91 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.19 million | 1.94 million | 2.48 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.85 million | 2.56 million | 3.04 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.25 million | 3.10 million | 3.30 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.25 million | 3.20 million | 3.28 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.35 million | 3.31 million | 3.38 million | 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 school age population, primary education, both sexes in Malaysia?
- School age population, primary education, both sexes in Malaysia was 3.35 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, primary education, both sexes recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 3.38 million in 2024.
- What is the lowest school age population, primary education, both sexes recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.81 million in 1970.
- How does Malaysia rank for school age population, primary education, both sexes?
- Malaysia ranks 47th out of 222 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, primary education, both sexes rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.9%. 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, primary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release