Share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in Malaysia
Malaysia: Share of children enrolled in pre-primary school was 81.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in Malaysia, 1998–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Malaysia recorded 81.1% for share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in 2024. That is the highest value across all 21 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.0% on the previous year and up 4.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in Malaysia peaked at 81.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 49.7%, in 1999.
Malaysia ranks 59th of 178 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.
Share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 53.7% | — |
| 1999 | 49.7% | -7.6% |
| 2000 | 50.6% | +1.8% |
| 2002 | 52.3% | +3.4% |
| 2003 | 56.2% | +7.5% |
| 2004 | 56.8% | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 58.5% | +3.0% |
| 2006 | 57.3% | -2.1% |
| 2007 | 61.3% | +7.0% |
| 2008 | 64.2% | +4.6% |
| 2009 | 64.8% | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 66.0% | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 77.6% | +17.6% |
| 2017 | 80.1% | +3.3% |
| 2018 | 78.2% | -2.4% |
| 2019 | 77.6% | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 75.1% | -3.2% |
| 2021 | 70.7% | -6.0% |
| 2022 | 71.6% | +1.3% |
| 2023 | 78.0% | +9.1% |
| 2024 | 81.1% | +4.0% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 81.1% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 67.3%, 1.2× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 81.1% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 68.1%, 1.2× the median. (28 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 51.7% | 49.7% | 53.7% | 2 |
| 2000s | 58.0% | 50.6% | 64.8% | 9 |
| 2010s | 75.9% | 66.0% | 80.1% | 5 |
| 2020s | 75.3% | 70.7% | 81.1% | 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 share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in Malaysia?
- Share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in Malaysia was 81.1% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children enrolled in pre-primary school recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 81.1% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of children enrolled in pre-primary school recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 49.7% in 1999.
- How does Malaysia rank for share of children enrolled in pre-primary school?
- Malaysia ranks 59th out of 178 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of children enrolled in pre-primary school rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.5%. 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 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children enrolled in pre-primary school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of children of pre-primary school age (typically 3–5 years old) who are enrolled in pre-primary education.