Industry jobs as a share of total employment in Malaysia
Malaysia: Industry jobs as a share of total employment was 26.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Industry jobs as a share of total employment in Malaysia, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Malaysia recorded 26.0% for industry jobs as a share of total employment in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 5.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, industry jobs as a share of total employment in Malaysia peaked at 34.9% in 1997 and was at its lowest, 25.9%, in 2021.
That places Malaysia 38th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Industry jobs as a share of total employment in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 32.8% | — |
| 1992 | 33.1% | +0.8% |
| 1993 | 33.5% | +1.2% |
| 1994 | 33.6% | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 33.7% | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 33.5% | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 34.9% | +4.1% |
| 1998 | 33.0% | -5.3% |
| 1999 | 33.0% | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 33.4% | +1.5% |
| 2001 | 33.1% | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 32.0% | -3.4% |
| 2003 | 32.0% | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 30.1% | -5.9% |
| 2005 | 29.7% | -1.3% |
| 2006 | 30.3% | +1.8% |
| 2007 | 28.5% | -5.9% |
| 2008 | 28.7% | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 27.0% | -5.8% |
| 2010 | 27.6% | +2.2% |
| 2011 | 28.4% | +3.0% |
| 2012 | 27.6% | -3.1% |
| 2013 | 27.9% | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 27.7% | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 27.5% | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 27.5% | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 27.7% | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 27.1% | -2.2% |
| 2019 | 27.9% | +3.0% |
| 2020 | 26.2% | -6.3% |
| 2021 | 25.9% | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 26.1% | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 26.0% | -0.3% |
| 2024 | 26.0% | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 26.0% | -0.2% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 26.0% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 21.1%, 1.2× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 26.0% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 19.9%, 1.3× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 33.4% | 32.8% | 34.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 30.5% | 27.0% | 33.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 27.7% | 27.1% | 28.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 26.0% | 25.9% | 26.2% | 6 |
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 industry jobs as a share of total employment in Malaysia?
- Industry jobs as a share of total employment in Malaysia was 26.0% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest industry jobs as a share of total employment recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 34.9% in 1997.
- What is the lowest industry jobs as a share of total employment recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.9% in 2021.
- How does Malaysia rank for industry jobs as a share of total employment?
- Malaysia ranks 38th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is industry jobs as a share of total employment rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malaysia data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Industry jobs as a share of total employment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Share of total employment working in the industry sector.