Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Malaysia

Malaysia: Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes was 36.8% in 2017. ▼ Falling

Latest (2017)
36.8%
Change on year
down 0.9%
World rank
36th
of 147 countries
All-time high
45.0%
in 1998
All-time low
23.9%
in 2004
Years of data
19
1998–2017

Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Malaysia, 1998–2017

010203040501998200720171998: 45 %1999: 43.5 %2000: 42.7 %2001: 34.1 %2002: 33.1 %2003: 26.5 %2004: 23.9 %2005: 28.4 %2006: 31.9 %2007: 36.3 %2008: 35.8 %2009: 35.2 %2010: 34.6 %2011: 35.5 %2012: 30.7 %2013: 36.1 %2014: 38.8 %2016: 37.1 %2017: 36.8 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2017, out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Malaysia stood at 36.8%.

That represents a change of down 0.9% on the previous year and up 1.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Malaysia peaked at 45.0% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 23.9%, in 2004.

That places Malaysia 36th out of 147 countries with data for 2017, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 19 years of available data.

Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Malaysia, year by year

Annual values for Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes (%) in Malaysia, 1998 to 2017.
Year % Change
1998 45.0%
1999 43.5% -3.4%
2000 42.7% -2.0%
2001 34.1% -20.2%
2002 33.1% -2.8%
2003 26.5% -20.0%
2004 23.9% -9.7%
2005 28.4% +18.7%
2006 31.9% +12.3%
2007 36.3% +13.7%
2008 35.8% -1.4%
2009 35.2% -1.6%
2010 34.6% -1.7%
2011 35.5% +2.5%
2012 30.7% -13.4%
2013 36.1% +17.4%
2014 38.8% +7.5%
2016 37.1% -4.4%
2017 36.8% -0.9%

Malaysia compared with similar countries

  • Malaysia's 36.8% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 20.9%, 1.8× the median. (43 countries reporting)
  • Malaysia's 36.8% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 22.3%, 1.7× the median. (20 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 44.3% 43.5% 45.0% 2
2000s 32.8% 23.9% 42.7% 10
2010s 35.7% 30.7% 38.8% 7

Countries ranked near Malaysia

  1. 33 Bangladesh 38.3% compare
  2. 34 Tonga 38.0% compare
  3. 35 Suriname 37.9% compare
  4. 37 Belize 36.2% compare
  5. 38 Nicaragua 35.6% compare
  6. 39 Republic of Moldova 35.3% compare

See the full ranking of 192 places →

More reference data data for Malaysia

All data for Malaysia →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Malaysia?
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Malaysia was 36.8% in 2017, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes recorded in Malaysia?
The highest recorded value was 45.0% in 1998.
What is the lowest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes recorded in Malaysia?
The lowest recorded value was 23.9% in 2004.
How does Malaysia rank for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes?
Malaysia ranks 36th out of 147 countries with data for 2017.
Is out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes rising or falling in Malaysia?
Over the last ten years it is up 1.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Malaysia data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Malaysia. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 13 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-rate-for-youth-of-upper-secondary-school-age-both-sexes-percent/malaysia/

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About this data

Indicator
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
192 places, 3,194 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Number of youth of official upper secondary school age who are not enrolled in upper secondary school expressed as a percentage of the population of official upper secondary school age.