School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Malaysia
Malaysia: School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes was 10.21 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
10.21 years
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
163rd
of 213 countries
All-time high
10.82 years
in 2014
All-time low
7.94 years
in 1970
Years of data
48
1970–2024
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Malaysia, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2024, school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Malaysia stood at 10.21 years.
That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and down 5.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Malaysia peaked at 10.82 years in 2014 and was at its lowest, 7.94 years, in 1970.
Malaysia ranks 163rd of 213 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 48 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 7.94 years | — |
| 1975 | 9.35 years | +17.8% |
| 1977 | 9.51 years | +1.7% |
| 1978 | 9.71 years | +2.1% |
| 1979 | 9.8 years | +0.9% |
| 1980 | 9.78 years | -0.2% |
| 1981 | 9.83 years | +0.5% |
| 1982 | 9.76 years | -0.7% |
| 1983 | 9.93 years | +1.7% |
| 1984 | 9.96 years | +0.3% |
| 1985 | 9.93 years | -0.3% |
| 1987 | 10.08 years | +1.5% |
| 1988 | 9.95 years | -1.2% |
| 1989 | 9.85 years | -1.0% |
| 1990 | 9.66 years | -1.9% |
| 1991 | 9.68 years | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 9.73 years | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 9.69 years | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 9.72 years | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 9.76 years | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 9.91 years | +1.5% |
| 1998 | 10.46 years | +5.5% |
| 1999 | 10.33 years | -1.2% |
| 2000 | 10.39 years | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 10.22 years | -1.6% |
| 2002 | 10.07 years | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 10.4 years | +3.4% |
| 2004 | 10.59 years | +1.8% |
| 2005 | 10.4 years | -1.8% |
| 2006 | 10.41 years | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 10.36 years | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 10.41 years | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 10.43 years | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 10.58 years | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 10.6 years | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 10.81 years | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 10.79 years | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 10.82 years | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 10.62 years | -1.8% |
| 2016 | 10.56 years | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 10.51 years | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 10.22 years | -2.7% |
| 2019 | 10.18 years | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 10 years | -1.8% |
| 2021 | 10.08 years | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 10.19 years | +1.1% |
| 2023 | 10.25 years | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 10.21 years | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 9.26 years | 7.94 years | 9.8 years | 5 |
| 1980s | 9.9 years | 9.76 years | 10.08 years | 9 |
| 1990s | 9.88 years | 9.66 years | 10.46 years | 9 |
| 2000s | 10.37 years | 10.07 years | 10.59 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.57 years | 10.18 years | 10.82 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.15 years | 10 years | 10.25 years | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More education data for Malaysia
- Theoretical duration of pre-primary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (pre-primary to post-secondary non) 0.0494 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of lower secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of upper secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of secondary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,024 tertiary education (2024)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0494 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 273,792 (2024)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 2 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Malaysia?
- School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Malaysia was 10.21 years in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 10.82 years in 2014.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.94 years in 1970.
- How does Malaysia rank for school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes?
- Malaysia ranks 163rd out of 213 countries with data for 2024.
- Is school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.6%. 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 life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 48 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release