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.
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
- Number of child deaths per woman 0.0159 under-five deaths per woman (2024)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.55 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.55 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate vs. Human Development Index 1.55 live births per woman (2023)
- Human Development Index 0.819 (2023)
- Rule of Law - Governance estimate 0.3451 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Rule of Law - Governance score 62.9 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance estimate -0.1267 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance score 54.63 0-100 (2024)
- Political Stability - Governance estimate 0.3848 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
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.