Average years of schooling among adults in Malaysia
Malaysia: Average years of schooling among adults was 11.09 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Average years of schooling among adults in Malaysia, 1990–2023
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2023, average years of schooling among adults in Malaysia stood at 11.09 years. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 10.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, average years of schooling among adults in Malaysia peaked at 11.09 years in 2022 and was at its lowest, 6.15 years, in 1990.
That places Malaysia 68th out of 192 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.05 years | 6.15 years | 8.12 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.33 years | 7.59 years | 9.56 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.19 years | 9.7 years | 10.65 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.98 years | 10.8 years | 11.09 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More education data for Malaysia
- Duration of pre-primary education 2 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 4 years (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 21.3% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 70.7% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 90.4% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 273,792 (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 1.54 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 90.4% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is average years of schooling among adults in Malaysia?
- Average years of schooling among adults in Malaysia was 11.09 years in 2023, according to UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest average years of schooling among adults recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 11.09 years in 2022.
- What is the lowest average years of schooling among adults recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.15 years in 1990.
- How does Malaysia rank for average years of schooling among adults?
- Malaysia ranks 68th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is average years of schooling among adults rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malaysia data come from?
- The figures come from UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Average years of schooling among adults. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Average number of years (excluding years spent repeating individual grades) adults over 25 years participated in formal education.