Government expenditure on education, constant US$ in Malaysia

Malaysia: Government expenditure on education, constant US$ was 14,511 millions in 2019. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2019)
14,511 millions
Change on year
down 3.1%
World rank
32nd
of 167 countries
All-time high
14,971 millions
in 2018
All-time low
906.21 millions
in 1971
Years of data
35
1971–2019

Government expenditure on education, constant US$ in Malaysia, 1971–2019

05.0k10.0k15.0k1971199520191971: 906.2 millions1979: 1.9k millions1980: 2.3k millions1981: 2.9k millions1982: 3.2k millions1984: 2.9k millions1985: 3.1k millions1986: 3.8k millions1987: 3.5k millions1992: 4.4k millions1993: 4.4k millions1994: 4.8k millions1995: 4.9k millions1996: 6.1k millions1997: 6.1k millions1999: 7.4k millions2000: 8.5k millions2001: 10.7k millions2002: 11.5k millions2003: 11.9k millions2004: 10.1k millions2006: 8.5k millions2007: 8.8k millions2008: 8.3k millions2009: 12.4k millions2010: 11.1k millions2011: 13.5k millions2012: 14.2k millions2013: 14.2k millions2014: 14.3k millions2015: 14.1k millions2016: 14.3k millions2017: 14.9k millions2018: 15.0k millions2019: 14.5k millions

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in millions.

Analysis

Malaysia recorded 14,511 millions for government expenditure on education, constant us$ in 2019.

That represents a change of down 3.1% on the previous year and up 17.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government expenditure on education, constant us$ in Malaysia peaked at 14,971 millions in 2018 and was at its lowest, 906.21 millions, in 1971.

Malaysia ranks 32nd of 167 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Government expenditure on education, constant US$ in Malaysia, year by year

Annual values for Government expenditure on education, constant US$ (millions) in Malaysia, 1971 to 2019.
Year millions Change
1971 906.21 millions —
1979 1,895 millions +109.1%
1980 2,291 millions +20.9%
1981 2,866 millions +25.1%
1982 3,189 millions +11.3%
1984 2,941 millions -7.7%
1985 3,140 millions +6.7%
1986 3,768 millions +20.0%
1987 3,461 millions -8.1%
1992 4,360 millions +26.0%
1993 4,363 millions +0.1%
1994 4,817 millions +10.4%
1995 4,883 millions +1.4%
1996 6,078 millions +24.5%
1997 6,133 millions +0.9%
1999 7,423 millions +21.0%
2000 8,485 millions +14.3%
2001 10,690 millions +26.0%
2002 11,527 millions +7.8%
2003 11,947 millions +3.6%
2004 10,073 millions -15.7%
2006 8,483 millions -15.8%
2007 8,790 millions +3.6%
2008 8,342 millions -5.1%
2009 12,399 millions +48.6%
2010 11,073 millions -10.7%
2011 13,529 millions +22.2%
2012 14,210 millions +5.0%
2013 14,209 millions -0.0%
2014 14,324 millions +0.8%
2015 14,136 millions -1.3%
2016 14,334 millions +1.4%
2017 14,920 millions +4.1%
2018 14,971 millions +0.3%
2019 14,511 millions -3.1%

Malaysia compared with similar countries

  • Malaysia's 14,511 millions is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1,289 millions, 11.3× the median. (46 countries reporting)
  • Malaysia's 14,511 millions is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3,261 millions, 4.4× the median. (24 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Government expenditure on education, constant US$ in Malaysia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
1979 +109.1% 906.21 millions 1,895 millions

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 1,401 millions 906.21 millions 1,895 millions 2
1980s 3,094 millions 2,291 millions 3,768 millions 7
1990s 5,437 millions 4,360 millions 7,423 millions 7
2000s 10,082 millions 8,342 millions 12,399 millions 9
2010s 14,022 millions 11,073 millions 14,971 millions 10

Countries ranked near Malaysia

  1. 29 Thailand 16,786 millions compare
  2. 30 Finland 16,267 millions compare
  3. 31 Chile 15,014 millions compare
  4. 33 Colombia 14,252 millions compare
  5. 34 Turkey 13,705 millions compare
  6. 35 Hong Kong 13,052 millions compare

See the full ranking of 167 places →

More reference data data for Malaysia

All data for Malaysia →

Frequently asked questions

What is government expenditure on education, constant us$ in Malaysia?
Government expenditure on education, constant us$ in Malaysia was 14,511 millions in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest government expenditure on education, constant us$ recorded in Malaysia?
The highest recorded value was 14,971 millions in 2018.
What is the lowest government expenditure on education, constant us$ recorded in Malaysia?
The lowest recorded value was 906.21 millions in 1971.
How does Malaysia rank for government expenditure on education, constant us$?
Malaysia ranks 32nd out of 167 countries with data for 2019.
Is government expenditure on education, constant us$ rising or falling in Malaysia?
Over the last ten years it is up 17.0%. 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 Government expenditure on education, constant US$ (millions). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Government expenditure on education, constant US$ in Malaysia. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 29 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/government-expenditure-on-education-constant-us-millions/malaysia/

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About this data

Indicator
Government expenditure on education, constant US$ (millions)
Unit
millions
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
167 places, 3,670 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Total general (local, regional and central) government expenditure on education (current, capital, and transfers) in millions US$ in constant value (taking into account inflation). It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. Total government expenditure for a given level of education (e.g. primary, secondary, or all levels combined) in national currency is converted to US$, and where it is expressed in constant value, uses a GDP deflator to account for inflation. The constant prices base year is normally three years before the year of the data release. For example, in the July 2017 data release, constant US$ values are expressed in 2014 prices. Limitations: In some instances data on total government expenditure on education refers only to the Ministry of Education, excluding other ministries which may also spend a part of their budget on educational activities. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/