Share of the population with completed tertiary education in Malaysia
Malaysia: Share of the population with completed tertiary education was 26.5 in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Share of the population with completed tertiary education in Malaysia, 1870–2020
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2020, share of the population with completed tertiary education in Malaysia stood at 26.5. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
That represents a change of up 50.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with completed tertiary education in Malaysia peaked at 26.5 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1870.
That places Malaysia 30th out of 111 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of the population with completed tertiary education in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 0 | — |
| 1875 | 0 | — |
| 1880 | 0 | — |
| 1885 | 0 | — |
| 1890 | 0 | — |
| 1895 | 0 | — |
| 1900 | 0 | — |
| 1905 | 0 | — |
| 1910 | 0.1 | — |
| 1915 | 0.2 | +100.0% |
| 1920 | 0.3 | +50.0% |
| 1925 | 0.6 | +100.0% |
| 1930 | 0.9 | +50.0% |
| 1935 | 1 | +11.1% |
| 1940 | 1.2 | +20.0% |
| 1945 | 1.3 | +8.3% |
| 1950 | 1.4 | +7.7% |
| 1955 | 1.5 | +7.1% |
| 1960 | 1.6 | +6.7% |
| 1965 | 1.5 | -6.3% |
| 1970 | 1.5 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 1.5 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 1.6 | +6.7% |
| 1985 | 4.6 | +187.5% |
| 1990 | 7.9 | +71.7% |
| 1995 | 8.9 | +12.7% |
| 2000 | 9 | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 12.9 | +43.3% |
| 2010 | 17.6 | +36.4% |
| 2015 | 22.6 | +28.4% |
| 2020 | 26.5 | +17.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1880s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1890s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1900s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1910s | 0.15 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 2 |
| 1920s | 0.45 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 2 |
| 1930s | 0.95 | 0.9 | 1 | 2 |
| 1940s | 1.25 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 2 |
| 1950s | 1.45 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 2 |
| 1960s | 1.55 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 2 |
| 1970s | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 2 |
| 1980s | 3.1 | 1.6 | 4.6 | 2 |
| 1990s | 8.4 | 7.9 | 8.9 | 2 |
| 2000s | 10.95 | 9 | 12.9 | 2 |
| 2010s | 20.1 | 17.6 | 22.6 | 2 |
| 2020s | 26.5 | 26.5 | 26.5 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More education data for Malaysia
- 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)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 4 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 70.7% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 21.3% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- Primary secondary enrollment completion rates, gaps filled 90.36 (2024)
- School enrollment, primary 90.4% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population with completed tertiary education in Malaysia?
- Share of the population with completed tertiary education in Malaysia was 26.5 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population with completed tertiary education recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 26.5 in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of the population with completed tertiary education recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1870.
- How does Malaysia rank for share of the population with completed tertiary education?
- Malaysia ranks 30th out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of the population with completed tertiary education rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 50.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Malaysia data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population with completed tertiary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).