What is the difference in average hourly earnings of employees between Costa Rica and Malaysia?

0.45 international-$ in 2021 prices, with Malaysia ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Malaysia?

10 years are reported by both, from 2011 to 2020.

Where does this data come from?

International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Average hourly earnings of employees. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Costa Rica vs Malaysia: Average hourly earnings of employees

Costa Rica

9.73 international-$ in 2021 prices

in 2024

Malaysia

10.18 international-$ in 2021 prices

in 2020

Costa Rica rank

25th

Malaysia rank

23rd

Average hourly earnings of employees over time

Costa Rica
Malaysia

How they compare

Malaysia currently reports 10.18 international-$ in 2021 prices against 9.73 international-$ in 2021 prices in Costa Rica, a difference of 0.45 international-$ in 2021 prices.

The two have swapped places 4 times across 10 shared years of data; in 2011 it was Costa Rica ahead.

Costa Rica ranks 25th and Malaysia ranks 23rd of 64 countries.

Across the 2 decades both report, Costa Rica averaged higher in 1 and Malaysia in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Costa Rica	Malaysia	Difference	Ahead
2010s	7.65 international-$ in 2021 prices	7.99 international-$ in 2021 prices	0.3362 international-$ in 2021 prices	Malaysia
2020s	11.9 international-$ in 2021 prices	10.18 international-$ in 2021 prices	1.72 international-$ in 2021 prices	Costa Rica

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher average hourly earnings of employees, Costa Rica or Malaysia?: Malaysia, at 10.18 international-$ in 2021 prices against 9.73 international-$ in 2021 prices in Costa Rica as of 2020.
What is the difference in average hourly earnings of employees between Costa Rica and Malaysia?: 0.45 international-$ in 2021 prices, with Malaysia ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Malaysia?: 10 years are reported by both, from 2011 to 2020.
How do Costa Rica and Malaysia rank globally for average hourly earnings of employees?: Costa Rica ranks 25th and Malaysia ranks 23rd of 64 countries.
Where does this data come from?: International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Average hourly earnings of employees. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Costa Rica vs Malaysia: Average hourly earnings of employees. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 24 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/average-hourly-earnings/costa-rica/malaysia/

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About this data

Indicator: Average hourly earnings of employees
Unit: international-$ in 2021 prices
Source: International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 64 places, 923 data points, 1990–2025
Last refreshed: 18 September 2026

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