Female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 in Malaysia
Malaysia: Female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 was 53.5% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 in Malaysia, 1970–2022
Source: Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Malaysia recorded 53.5% for female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 in 2022.
That represents a change of up 1.3% on the previous year and up 11.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 in Malaysia peaked at 53.7% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 33.3%, in 1970.
That places Malaysia 69th out of 172 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 40 years of available data.
Female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 33.3% | — |
| 1980 | 36.0% | +8.1% |
| 1982 | 42.4% | +18.0% |
| 1983 | 43.6% | +2.7% |
| 1984 | 42.4% | -2.8% |
| 1985 | 42.8% | +1.1% |
| 1986 | 42.6% | -0.4% |
| 1987 | 43.6% | +2.2% |
| 1988 | 43.7% | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 43.7% | -0.1% |
| 1990 | 45.2% | +3.4% |
| 1991 | 35.4% | -21.5% |
| 1992 | 45.0% | +26.9% |
| 1993 | 44.3% | -1.5% |
| 1995 | 43.0% | -2.9% |
| 1996 | 45.5% | +5.9% |
| 1997 | 44.6% | -2.0% |
| 1998 | 42.9% | -3.9% |
| 1999 | 43.2% | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 46.1% | +6.7% |
| 2001 | 45.1% | -2.3% |
| 2002 | 44.9% | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 46.0% | +2.4% |
| 2004 | 45.4% | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 44.2% | -2.7% |
| 2007 | 44.8% | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 44.0% | -1.7% |
| 2010 | 44.9% | +2.0% |
| 2011 | 46.4% | +3.4% |
| 2012 | 48.0% | +3.3% |
| 2013 | 50.8% | +5.8% |
| 2014 | 51.9% | +2.2% |
| 2015 | 52.3% | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 52.2% | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 52.8% | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 53.2% | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 53.7% | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 52.8% | -1.7% |
| 2021 | 52.8% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 53.5% | +1.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 33.3% | 33.3% | 33.3% | 1 |
| 1980s | 42.3% | 36.0% | 43.7% | 9 |
| 1990s | 43.2% | 35.4% | 45.5% | 9 |
| 2000s | 45.1% | 44.0% | 46.1% | 8 |
| 2010s | 50.6% | 44.9% | 53.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 53.0% | 52.8% | 53.5% | 3 |
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 female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 in Malaysia?
- Female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 in Malaysia was 53.5% in 2022, according to Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 53.7% in 2019.
- What is the lowest female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 33.3% in 1970.
- How does Malaysia rank for female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024?
- Malaysia ranks 69th out of 172 countries with data for 2022.
- Is female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malaysia data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 40 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of the female working-age population who are employed. Figures refer to national estimates and may not be fully comparable across countries.