Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure in Malaysia

Malaysia: Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure was 23.8% in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
23.8%
Change on year
up 3.2%
World rank
113th
of 191 countries
All-time high
25.6%
in 2016
All-time low
16.1%
in 2001
Years of data
23
2000–2022

Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure in Malaysia, 2000–2022

01020302000201120222000: 16.42001: 16.12002: 17.92003: 172004: 17.82005: 18.32006: 17.82007: 18.12008: 18.92009: 18.52010: 21.12011: 202012: 21.42013: 21.32014: 232015: 24.12016: 25.62017: 25.52018: 24.22019: 22.62020: 23.12021: 232022: 23.8

Source: World Bank.

Analysis

Malaysia recorded 23.8% for wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure in 2022.

That represents a change of up 3.2% on the previous year and up 11.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure in Malaysia peaked at 25.6% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 16.1%, in 2001.

Malaysia ranks 113th of 191 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.

Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure in Malaysia, year by year

Annual values for Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure in Malaysia, 2000 to 2022.
Year Value Change
2000 16.4%
2001 16.1% -2.1%
2002 17.9% +11.0%
2003 17.0% -5.0%
2004 17.8% +4.9%
2005 18.3% +2.9%
2006 17.8% -2.6%
2007 18.1% +1.2%
2008 18.9% +4.6%
2009 18.5% -1.8%
2010 21.1% +13.5%
2011 20.0% -4.9%
2012 21.4% +6.8%
2013 21.3% -0.6%
2014 23.0% +8.1%
2015 24.1% +4.8%
2016 25.6% +6.2%
2017 25.5% -0.5%
2018 24.2% -4.8%
2019 22.6% -6.8%
2020 23.1% +2.2%
2021 23.0% -0.3%
2022 23.8% +3.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 17.7% 16.1% 18.9% 10
2010s 22.9% 20.0% 25.6% 10
2020s 23.3% 23.0% 23.8% 3

Countries ranked near Malaysia

  1. 110 Côte d'Ivoire 24.0% compare
  2. 111 Tajikistan 24.0% compare
  3. 112 Spain 23.8% compare
  4. 114 Tanzania, United Republic of 23.6% compare
  5. 115 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 23.5% compare
  6. 116 Portugal 23.5% compare

See the full ranking of 191 places →

More reference data data for Malaysia

All data for Malaysia →

Frequently asked questions

What is wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure in Malaysia?
Wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure in Malaysia was 23.8% in 2022, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure recorded in Malaysia?
The highest recorded value was 25.6% in 2016.
What is the lowest wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure recorded in Malaysia?
The lowest recorded value was 16.1% in 2001.
How does Malaysia rank for wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure?
Malaysia ranks 113th out of 191 countries with data for 2022.
Is wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure rising or falling in Malaysia?
Over the last ten years it is up 11.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Malaysia data come from?
The figures come from the World Bank, published as part of Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure in Malaysia. Statizoid. Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/wage-bill-as-a-percentage-of-public-expenditure/malaysia/

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About this data

Indicator
Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
191 places, 4,119 data points, 2000–2022
Last refreshed