Share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation in Malaysia
Malaysia: Share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation was 82.8% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation in Malaysia, 1998–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation in Malaysia is 82.8%, measured in 2021. That is the highest value across all 20 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 10.5% on the previous year and up 10.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation in Malaysia peaked at 82.8% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 39.2%, in 2002.
Malaysia ranks 18th of 116 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 20 years of available data.
Share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 60.2% | — |
| 1999 | 54.4% | -9.7% |
| 2000 | 47.7% | -12.3% |
| 2001 | 40.1% | -16.1% |
| 2002 | 39.2% | -2.1% |
| 2003 | 43.5% | +10.9% |
| 2004 | 56.8% | +30.4% |
| 2007 | 64.5% | +13.7% |
| 2009 | 68.8% | +6.6% |
| 2011 | 75.1% | +9.1% |
| 2012 | 65.5% | -12.8% |
| 2013 | 65.1% | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 66.0% | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 65.7% | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 67.6% | +2.8% |
| 2017 | 70.5% | +4.4% |
| 2018 | 72.1% | +2.2% |
| 2019 | 64.3% | -10.8% |
| 2020 | 74.9% | +16.5% |
| 2021 | 82.8% | +10.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 57.3% | 54.4% | 60.2% | 2 |
| 2000s | 51.5% | 39.2% | 68.8% | 7 |
| 2010s | 68.0% | 64.3% | 75.1% | 9 |
| 2020s | 78.9% | 74.9% | 82.8% | 2 |
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 total public education spending allocated to staff compensation in Malaysia?
- Share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation in Malaysia was 82.8% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 82.8% in 2021.
- What is the lowest share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 39.2% in 2002.
- How does Malaysia rank for share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation?
- Malaysia ranks 18th out of 116 countries with data for 2021.
- Is share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.3%. 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 total public education spending allocated to staff compensation. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Compensation for staff across all levels of education, both teaching and non-teaching, covers salaries, retirement contributions by employers, and additional benefits.