Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Malaysia
Malaysia: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 3.5% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Malaysia, 1971–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Malaysia is 3.5%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 0.4% on the previous year and down 35.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Malaysia peaked at 7.7% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 3.5%, in 2022.
That places Malaysia 126th out of 199 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 39 years of available data.
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 4.6% | — |
| 1979 | 5.1% | +11.8% |
| 1980 | 5.7% | +12.6% |
| 1981 | 6.7% | +17.0% |
| 1982 | 7.0% | +5.0% |
| 1984 | 5.7% | -19.4% |
| 1985 | 6.1% | +7.9% |
| 1986 | 7.2% | +18.5% |
| 1987 | 6.3% | -12.7% |
| 1992 | 5.1% | -19.2% |
| 1993 | 4.7% | -8.9% |
| 1994 | 4.7% | +1.1% |
| 1995 | 4.3% | -7.7% |
| 1996 | 4.9% | +13.2% |
| 1997 | 4.6% | -6.0% |
| 1999 | 5.7% | +23.1% |
| 2000 | 6.0% | +5.0% |
| 2001 | 7.5% | +25.3% |
| 2002 | 7.7% | +2.3% |
| 2003 | 7.5% | -2.0% |
| 2004 | 5.9% | -21.0% |
| 2006 | 4.5% | -24.3% |
| 2007 | 4.4% | -2.5% |
| 2008 | 4.0% | -9.5% |
| 2009 | 6.0% | +50.9% |
| 2010 | 5.0% | -16.9% |
| 2011 | 5.8% | +16.0% |
| 2012 | 5.7% | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 5.5% | -4.5% |
| 2014 | 5.2% | -4.9% |
| 2015 | 4.9% | -6.1% |
| 2016 | 4.8% | -2.9% |
| 2017 | 4.7% | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 4.5% | -4.2% |
| 2019 | 4.2% | -7.2% |
| 2020 | 3.9% | -5.9% |
| 2021 | 4.3% | +8.9% |
| 2022 | 3.5% | -17.9% |
| 2023 | 3.5% | +0.4% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 3.5% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.2%, 83% of the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 3.5% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 4.2%, 83% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.8% | 4.6% | 5.1% | 2 |
| 1980s | 6.4% | 5.7% | 7.2% | 7 |
| 1990s | 4.9% | 4.3% | 5.7% | 7 |
| 2000s | 5.9% | 4.0% | 7.7% | 9 |
| 2010s | 5.0% | 4.2% | 5.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.8% | 3.5% | 4.3% | 4 |
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 government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Malaysia?
- Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Malaysia was 3.5% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 7.7% in 2002.
- What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.5% in 2022.
- How does Malaysia rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
- Malaysia ranks 126th out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 35.9%. 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 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending on education overall vs. primary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.