Annual working hours per worker in Malaysia
Malaysia: Annual working hours per worker was 2,308 hours per worker in 2023. ▬ Flat
Latest (2023)
2,308 hours per worker
Change on year
up 0.7%
World rank
18th
of 130 countries
All-time high
2,489 hours per worker
in 2005
All-time low
2,118 hours per worker
in 2020
Years of data
54
1970–2023
Annual working hours per worker in Malaysia, 1970–2023
Source: Feenstra et al. – Penn World Table (2025); Huberman and Minns (2005) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hours per worker.
Analysis
In 2023, annual working hours per worker in Malaysia stood at 2,308 hours per worker.
That represents a change of up 0.7% on the previous year and down 1.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual working hours per worker in Malaysia peaked at 2,489 hours per worker in 2005 and was at its lowest, 2,118 hours per worker, in 2020.
Malaysia ranks 18th of 130 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Annual working hours per worker in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | hours per worker | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 2,403 hours per worker | — |
| 1971 | 2,404 hours per worker | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 2,405 hours per worker | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 2,405 hours per worker | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 2,406 hours per worker | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 2,407 hours per worker | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 2,408 hours per worker | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 2,409 hours per worker | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 2,410 hours per worker | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 2,410 hours per worker | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 2,411 hours per worker | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 2,411 hours per worker | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 2,412 hours per worker | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 2,411 hours per worker | -0.0% |
| 1984 | 2,412 hours per worker | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 2,413 hours per worker | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 2,411 hours per worker | -0.1% |
| 1987 | 2,409 hours per worker | -0.1% |
| 1988 | 2,409 hours per worker | -0.0% |
| 1989 | 2,413 hours per worker | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 2,415 hours per worker | +0.1% |
| 1991 | 2,420 hours per worker | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 2,424 hours per worker | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 2,425 hours per worker | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 2,425 hours per worker | -0.0% |
| 1995 | 2,424 hours per worker | -0.0% |
| 1996 | 2,426 hours per worker | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 2,427 hours per worker | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 2,426 hours per worker | -0.0% |
| 1999 | 2,425 hours per worker | -0.0% |
| 2000 | 2,423 hours per worker | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 2,423 hours per worker | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 2,452 hours per worker | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 2,442 hours per worker | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 2,438 hours per worker | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 2,489 hours per worker | +2.1% |
| 2006 | 2,469 hours per worker | -0.8% |
| 2007 | 2,443 hours per worker | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 2,414 hours per worker | -1.2% |
| 2009 | 2,420 hours per worker | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 2,402 hours per worker | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 2,400 hours per worker | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 2,376 hours per worker | -1.0% |
| 2013 | 2,340 hours per worker | -1.6% |
| 2014 | 2,351 hours per worker | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 2,338 hours per worker | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 2,341 hours per worker | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 2,343 hours per worker | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 2,317 hours per worker | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 2,316 hours per worker | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 2,118 hours per worker | -8.5% |
| 2021 | 2,213 hours per worker | +4.5% |
| 2022 | 2,292 hours per worker | +3.5% |
| 2023 | 2,308 hours per worker | +0.7% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 2,308 hours per worker is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 2,063 hours per worker, 1.1× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 2,308 hours per worker is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2,169 hours per worker, 1.1× the median. (14 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2,407 hours per worker | 2,403 hours per worker | 2,410 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1980s | 2,411 hours per worker | 2,409 hours per worker | 2,413 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1990s | 2,424 hours per worker | 2,415 hours per worker | 2,427 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2000s | 2,441 hours per worker | 2,414 hours per worker | 2,489 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2010s | 2,352 hours per worker | 2,316 hours per worker | 2,402 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2020s | 2,233 hours per worker | 2,118 hours per worker | 2,308 hours per worker | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More work & labour data for Malaysia
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.2671 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.2772 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.2563 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.25 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.6933 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 36,440 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 5,289 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 21,832 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 22,194 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 44,026 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual working hours per worker in Malaysia?
- Annual working hours per worker in Malaysia was 2,308 hours per worker in 2023, according to Feenstra et al. – Penn World Table (2025); Huberman and Minns (2005) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual working hours per worker recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 2,489 hours per worker in 2005.
- What is the lowest annual working hours per worker recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,118 hours per worker in 2020.
- How does Malaysia rank for annual working hours per worker?
- Malaysia ranks 18th out of 130 countries with data for 2023.
- Is annual working hours per worker rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Malaysia data come from?
- The figures come from Feenstra et al. – Penn World Table (2025); Huberman and Minns (2005) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual working hours per worker. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Average working hours per worker in a given year.