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

02040601990200720251990: 35.81991: 35.91992: 36.41993: 36.91994: 37.41995: 37.91996: 38.41997: 391998: 39.51999: 40.12000: 40.62001: 41.12002: 41.52003: 41.92004: 42.32005: 42.62006: 432007: 43.42008: 43.92009: 44.32010: 44.82011: 45.32012: 472013: 48.82014: 50.52015: 50.82016: 512017: 51.32018: 51.62019: 51.82020: 51.42021: 51.42022: 51.62023: 51.62024: 51.62025: 51.6

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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 102 Ecuador 52.39 compare
  2. 103 Slovenia 52.3 compare
  3. 104 Hong Kong 51.8 compare
  4. 106 Colombia 51.62 compare
  5. 107 Poland 51.61 compare
  6. 108 Sierra Leone 51.6 compare

See the full ranking of 186 places →

More work & labour data for Malaysia

All data for Malaysia →

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).

About this data

Indicator
Female labor force participation rates
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
186 places, 6,682 data points, 1990–2025
Last refreshed