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

Latest (2022)
13.0%
Change on year
up 6.4%
World rank
69th
of 113 countries
All-time high
20.4%
in 1973
All-time low
11.8%
in 2016
Years of data
43
1948–2022

Income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in Malaysia, 1948–2022

051015201948198520221948: 16.9 %1949: 15.6 %1950: 16.2 %1951: 15.8 %1952: 16.6 %1953: 15.8 %1954: 16.4 %1955: 17.1 %1956: 17 %1957: 17.2 %1958: 17.8 %1959: 17.9 %1960: 18.4 %1961: 18.9 %1962: 18.5 %1963: 18.9 %1964: 19 %1965: 19 %1966: 18 %1967: 18.2 %1968: 18.7 %1969: 18.1 %1970: 19.9 %1971: 19.7 %1972: 19.3 %1973: 20.4 %1974: 19.9 %1975: 19.7 %1984: 20.1 %1987: 19.1 %1989: 19.1 %1992: 19.2 %1995: 19.7 %1997: 19.9 %2002: 18.8 %2004: 16.9 %2007: 18.1 %2009: 18.1 %2012: 16.5 %2014: 14.9 %2016: 11.8 %2019: 12.2 %2022: 13 %

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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 66 Cameroon 13.3% compare
  2. 67 Senegal 13.1% compare
  3. 68 Tajikistan 13.1% compare
  4. 70 Ireland 13.0% compare
  5. 71 United Kingdom 12.9% compare
  6. 72 Benin 12.8% compare

See the full ranking of 113 places →

More reference data data for Malaysia

All data for Malaysia →

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.

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About this data

Indicator
Income share of the richest 1% (before tax)
Unit
%
Source
World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
113 places, 3,075 data points, 1820–2024
Last refreshed

The share of income received by the richest 1%. Income here is measured before taxes and benefits.