Female labor force participation rates in Malaysia
Malaysia: Female labor force participation rates was 51.64 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
51.64
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
105th
of 186 countries
All-time high
51.78
in 2019
All-time low
35.83
in 1990
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Female labor force participation rates in Malaysia, 1990–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for female labor force participation rates in Malaysia is 51.64, measured in 2025.
The figure is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 1.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, female labor force participation rates in Malaysia peaked at 51.78 in 2019 and was at its lowest, 35.83, in 1990.
Malaysia ranks 105th of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Female labor force participation rates in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 35.83 | — |
| 1991 | 35.94 | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 36.42 | +1.3% |
| 1993 | 36.91 | +1.3% |
| 1994 | 37.4 | +1.3% |
| 1995 | 37.91 | +1.4% |
| 1996 | 38.44 | +1.4% |
| 1997 | 38.97 | +1.4% |
| 1998 | 39.51 | +1.4% |
| 1999 | 40.06 | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 40.59 | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 41.05 | +1.1% |
| 2002 | 41.47 | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 41.87 | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 42.26 | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 42.64 | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 43.03 | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 43.44 | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 43.87 | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 44.31 | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 44.79 | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 45.3 | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 47.03 | +3.8% |
| 2013 | 48.76 | +3.7% |
| 2014 | 50.48 | +3.5% |
| 2015 | 50.83 | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 50.99 | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 51.28 | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 51.62 | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 51.78 | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 51.37 | -0.8% |
| 2021 | 51.37 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 51.6 | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 51.59 | -0.0% |
| 2024 | 51.62 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 51.64 | +0.1% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 51.64 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 51.06, 1.0× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 51.64 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 55.91, 92% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 37.74 | 35.83 | 40.06 | 10 |
| 2000s | 42.45 | 40.59 | 44.31 | 10 |
| 2010s | 49.29 | 44.79 | 51.78 | 10 |
| 2020s | 51.53 | 51.37 | 51.64 | 6 |
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 labor force participation rates in Malaysia?
- Female labor force participation rates in Malaysia was 51.64 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest female labor force participation rates recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 51.78 in 2019.
- What is the lowest female labor force participation rates recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 35.83 in 1990.
- How does Malaysia rank for female labor force participation rates?
- Malaysia ranks 105th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is female labor force participation rates rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malaysia data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Female labor force participation rates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).