School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Malaysia
Malaysia: School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) was 5.42 years in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
5.42 years
Change on year
down 1.3%
World rank
143rd
of 218 countries
All-time high
6.24 years
in 1978
All-time low
5.39 years
in 2022
Years of data
48
1970–2024
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Malaysia, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Malaysia is 5.42 years, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.3% on the previous year and down 7.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Malaysia peaked at 6.24 years in 1978 and was at its lowest, 5.39 years, in 2022.
That places Malaysia 143rd out of 218 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 48 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 5.57 years | — |
| 1975 | 6.08 years | +9.2% |
| 1977 | 6.16 years | +1.3% |
| 1978 | 6.24 years | +1.3% |
| 1979 | 6.23 years | -0.2% |
| 1980 | 6.2 years | -0.5% |
| 1981 | 6.13 years | -1.2% |
| 1982 | 6.09 years | -0.6% |
| 1983 | 6.08 years | -0.2% |
| 1984 | 6 years | -1.2% |
| 1985 | 5.98 years | -0.3% |
| 1987 | 5.86 years | -2.0% |
| 1988 | 5.84 years | -0.3% |
| 1989 | 5.81 years | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 5.76 years | -0.9% |
| 1991 | 5.74 years | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 5.74 years | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 5.76 years | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 5.76 years | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 5.79 years | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 5.84 years | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 5.78 years | -1.0% |
| 1999 | 5.74 years | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 5.85 years | +1.8% |
| 2001 | 5.72 years | -2.1% |
| 2002 | 5.57 years | -2.6% |
| 2003 | 5.6 years | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 5.76 years | +2.8% |
| 2005 | 5.83 years | +1.2% |
| 2006 | 5.87 years | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 5.9 years | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 5.92 years | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 5.93 years | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 5.93 years | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 5.93 years | -0.0% |
| 2012 | 5.92 years | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 5.93 years | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 5.83 years | -1.8% |
| 2015 | 5.74 years | -1.5% |
| 2016 | 5.78 years | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 5.78 years | -0.0% |
| 2018 | 5.75 years | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 5.66 years | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 5.59 years | -1.2% |
| 2021 | 5.56 years | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 5.39 years | -3.0% |
| 2023 | 5.49 years | +1.9% |
| 2024 | 5.42 years | -1.3% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 5.42 years is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5.84 years, 93% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 5.42 years is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 6.02 years, 90% of the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6.06 years | 5.57 years | 6.24 years | 5 |
| 1980s | 6 years | 5.81 years | 6.2 years | 9 |
| 1990s | 5.77 years | 5.74 years | 5.84 years | 9 |
| 2000s | 5.8 years | 5.57 years | 5.93 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.82 years | 5.66 years | 5.93 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.49 years | 5.39 years | 5.59 years | 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 school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Malaysia?
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Malaysia was 5.42 years in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 6.24 years in 1978.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.39 years in 2022.
- How does Malaysia rank for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes?
- Malaysia ranks 143rd out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
- Is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malaysia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release