Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Malaysia

Malaysia: Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female was 65.9% in 2018. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2018)
65.9%
Change on year
up 2.9%
World rank
40th
of 82 countries
All-time high
65.9%
in 2018
All-time low
8.3%
in 1980
Years of data
7
1980–2018

Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Malaysia, 1980–2018

02040601980199920181980: 8.3 %1991: 16.6 %2000: 30.5 %2010: 44 %2016: 62.7 %2017: 64.1 %2018: 65.9 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2018, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Malaysia stood at 65.9%. That is the highest value across all 7 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.9% on the previous year and up 49.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Malaysia peaked at 65.9% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 8.3%, in 1980.

That places Malaysia 40th out of 82 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the middle of the range.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 8.3% 8.3% 8.3% 1
1990s 16.6% 16.6% 16.6% 1
2000s 30.5% 30.5% 30.5% 1
2010s 59.2% 44.0% 65.9% 4

Countries ranked near Malaysia

  1. 37 Peru 69.2% compare
  2. 38 Paraguay 68.4% compare
  3. 39 Brunei Darussalam 66.8% compare
  4. 41 Indonesia 65.6% compare
  5. 42 El Salvador 62.1% compare
  6. 43 Honduras 58.2% compare

See the full ranking of 121 places →

More reference data data for Malaysia

All data for Malaysia →

Frequently asked questions

What is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Malaysia?
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Malaysia was 65.9% in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female recorded in Malaysia?
The highest recorded value was 65.9% in 2018.
What is the lowest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female recorded in Malaysia?
The lowest recorded value was 8.3% in 1980.
How does Malaysia rank for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female?
Malaysia ranks 40th out of 82 countries with data for 2018.
Is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female rising or falling in Malaysia?
Over the last ten years it is up 49.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Malaysia data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Malaysia. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/elderly-literacy-rate-population-65-years-female-percent/malaysia/

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About this data

Indicator
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
121 places, 2,197 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Percentage of females age 65 and above who can, with understanding, read and write a short, simple statement on their everyday life. Generally, ‘literacy’ also encompasses ‘numeracy’, the ability to make simple arithmetic calculations. This indicator is calculated by dividing the number of female literates aged 65 years and over by the corresponding age group population and multiplying the result by 100.