What is democracy in Malaysia?

Democracy in Malaysia was 2 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest democracy recorded in Malaysia?

The highest recorded value was 2 in 1957.

What is the lowest democracy recorded in Malaysia?

The lowest recorded value was 1 in 1969.

How does Malaysia rank for democracy?

Malaysia ranks 1st out of 167 countries with data for 2018.

Is democracy rising or falling in Malaysia?

Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.

Where does this Malaysia data come from?

The figures come from Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Democracy in Malaysia

Name: Democracy in Malaysia
Creator: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Malaysia: Democracy was 2 in 2018. ▼ Falling

Latest (2018)

Change on year

up 100.0%

World rank

1st

of 167 countries

All-time high

in 1957

All-time low

in 1969

Years of data

1957–2018

Democracy in Malaysia, 1957–2018

Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

Malaysia recorded 2 for democracy in 2018. That is the highest value across all 62 years on record.

That represents a change of up 100.0% on the previous year and unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, democracy in Malaysia peaked at 2 in 1957 and was at its lowest, 1, in 1969.

Malaysia ranks 1st of 167 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 62 years of available data.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1950s	2	2	2	3
1960s	1.9	1	2	10
1970s	1	1	1	10
1980s	1	1	1	10
1990s	1	1	1	10
2000s	1.2	1	2	10
2010s	1.56	1	2	9

Countries ranked near Malaysia

See the full ranking of 168 places →

More reference data data for Malaysia

Spring temperature anomalies 0.3171 °C (2026)
Summer temperature anomalies 0.4881 °C (2026)
Temperature anomalies by month 0.0702 °C (2026)
Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
Autumn temperature anomalies 0.2047 °C (2025)
Winter temperature anomalies 0.4538 °C (2025)
Consumer price index 134.6 2010 = 100 (2025)
Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
Competitive elections 1 (2025)
Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)

All data for Malaysia →

Frequently asked questions

What is democracy in Malaysia?: Democracy in Malaysia was 2 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest democracy recorded in Malaysia?: The highest recorded value was 2 in 1957.
What is the lowest democracy recorded in Malaysia?: The lowest recorded value was 1 in 1969.
How does Malaysia rank for democracy?: Malaysia ranks 1st out of 167 countries with data for 2018.
Is democracy rising or falling in Malaysia?: Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Malaysia data come from?: The figures come from Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 62 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator: Democracy
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 168 places, 18,392 data points, 1776–2020
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Identifies the political regime of a country using the Polity 5 data by the Center for Systemic Peace. It distinguishes between autocracies (score 0), anocracies (score 1), and democracies (score 2).