Political Polarization Score in Malaysia

Malaysia: Political Polarization Score was 2.45 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
2.45
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
12th
of 174 countries
All-time high
2.45
in 2023
All-time low
-2.09
in 1900
Years of data
126
1900–2025

Political Polarization Score in Malaysia, 1900–2025

-2-1012190019622025

Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2025, political polarization score in Malaysia stood at 2.45. That is the highest value across all 126 years on record.

The figure is up 62.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, political polarization score in Malaysia peaked at 2.45 in 2023 and was at its lowest, -2.09, in 1900.

Malaysia ranks 12th of 174 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1900s -2.09 -2.09 -2.09 10
1910s -2.09 -2.09 -2.09 10
1920s -2.09 -2.09 -2.09 10
1930s -2.09 -2.09 -2.09 10
1940s -0.815 -2.09 -0.061 10
1950s 0.0698 -0.061 0.593 10
1960s 0.8441 0.593 1.37 10
1970s 1.3 1.3 1.3 10
1980s 1.3 1.3 1.3 10
1990s 1.3 1.3 1.3 10
2000s 1.02 0.944 1.21 10
2010s 1.43 1.32 1.51 10
2020s 2.22 1.99 2.45 6

Countries ranked near Malaysia

  1. 9 Peru 2.52 compare
  2. 10 Libya 2.48 compare
  3. 11 Hungary 2.47 compare
  4. 13 Madagascar 2.38 compare
  5. 14 Bangladesh 2.37 compare
  6. 15 Afghanistan 2.32 compare

See the full ranking of 174 places →

More reference data data for Malaysia

All data for Malaysia →

Frequently asked questions

What is political polarization score in Malaysia?
Political polarization score in Malaysia was 2.45 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest political polarization score recorded in Malaysia?
The highest recorded value was 2.45 in 2023.
What is the lowest political polarization score recorded in Malaysia?
The lowest recorded value was -2.09 in 1900.
How does Malaysia rank for political polarization score?
Malaysia ranks 12th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
Is political polarization score rising or falling in Malaysia?
Over the last ten years it is up 62.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Malaysia data come from?
The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Political Polarization Score. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 126 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Political Polarization Score
Source
V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
174 places, 20,575 data points, 1900–2025
Last refreshed

Central estimate of the extent to which society is divided into hostile political camps, where political differences undermine social relationships and discourage interaction across ideological lines.