Income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in Malaysia
Malaysia: Income share of the richest 1% (before tax) was 13.0% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in Malaysia, 1948–2022
Source: World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Malaysia recorded 13.0% for income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in 2022.
The figure is up 6.4% on the previous year and down 21.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in Malaysia peaked at 20.4% in 1973 and was at its lowest, 11.8%, in 2016.
That places Malaysia 69th out of 113 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 43 years of available data.
Income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | 16.9% | — |
| 1949 | 15.6% | -7.4% |
| 1950 | 16.2% | +3.5% |
| 1951 | 15.8% | -2.0% |
| 1952 | 16.6% | +4.7% |
| 1953 | 15.8% | -4.6% |
| 1954 | 16.4% | +3.6% |
| 1955 | 17.1% | +4.4% |
| 1956 | 17.0% | -0.5% |
| 1957 | 17.2% | +1.4% |
| 1958 | 17.8% | +3.1% |
| 1959 | 17.9% | +0.8% |
| 1960 | 18.4% | +2.8% |
| 1961 | 18.9% | +2.6% |
| 1962 | 18.5% | -2.0% |
| 1963 | 18.9% | +1.9% |
| 1964 | 19.0% | +0.7% |
| 1965 | 19.0% | -0.3% |
| 1966 | 18.0% | -5.0% |
| 1967 | 18.2% | +1.0% |
| 1968 | 18.7% | +2.5% |
| 1969 | 18.1% | -2.9% |
| 1970 | 19.9% | +9.8% |
| 1971 | 19.7% | -1.1% |
| 1972 | 19.3% | -2.0% |
| 1973 | 20.4% | +5.7% |
| 1974 | 19.9% | -2.3% |
| 1975 | 19.7% | -1.2% |
| 1984 | 20.1% | +2.3% |
| 1987 | 19.1% | -5.0% |
| 1989 | 19.1% | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 19.2% | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 19.7% | +2.5% |
| 1997 | 19.9% | +1.2% |
| 2002 | 18.8% | -5.3% |
| 2004 | 16.9% | -10.2% |
| 2007 | 18.1% | +7.2% |
| 2009 | 18.1% | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 16.5% | -8.8% |
| 2014 | 14.9% | -9.7% |
| 2016 | 11.8% | -20.6% |
| 2019 | 12.2% | +3.6% |
| 2022 | 13.0% | +6.4% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 13.0% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 16.6%, 78% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 13.0% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 16.1%, 81% of the median. (14 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 16.2% | 15.6% | 16.9% | 2 |
| 1950s | 16.8% | 15.8% | 17.9% | 10 |
| 1960s | 18.6% | 18.0% | 19.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 19.8% | 19.3% | 20.4% | 6 |
| 1980s | 19.5% | 19.1% | 20.1% | 3 |
| 1990s | 19.6% | 19.2% | 19.9% | 3 |
| 2000s | 18.0% | 16.9% | 18.8% | 4 |
| 2010s | 13.8% | 11.8% | 16.5% | 4 |
| 2020s | 13.0% | 13.0% | 13.0% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More reference data data for Malaysia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.7102 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.5869 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1487 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.38 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.64 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 21.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.8098 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in Malaysia?
- Income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in Malaysia was 13.0% in 2022, according to World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest income share of the richest 1% (before tax) recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 20.4% in 1973.
- What is the lowest income share of the richest 1% (before tax) recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.8% in 2016.
- How does Malaysia rank for income share of the richest 1% (before tax)?
- Malaysia ranks 69th out of 113 countries with data for 2022.
- Is income share of the richest 1% (before tax) rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malaysia data come from?
- The figures come from World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Income share of the richest 1% (before tax). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 43 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of income received by the richest 1%. Income here is measured before taxes and benefits.