Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) in Malaysia

Malaysia: Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) was 81.9% in 2022. ▼ Falling

Latest (2022)
81.9%
Change on year
up 1.2%
World rank
23rd
of 196 countries
All-time high
86.0%
in 1993
All-time low
75.8%
in 1991
Years of data
41
1970–2022

Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) in Malaysia, 1970–2022

0204060801970199620221970: 78.51980: 78.71982: 85.31983: 85.61984: 85.41985: 85.61986: 85.81987: 85.61988: 85.61989: 85.61990: 85.31991: 75.81992: 84.91993: 861995: 84.31996: 84.91997: 84.31998: 83.31999: 82.82000: 81.72001: 82.32002: 81.52003: 82.12004: 80.92005: 802007: 79.52008: 792009: 78.92010: 79.52011: 79.72012: 80.52013: 812014: 80.62015: 80.62016: 80.22017: 80.12018: 80.42019: 80.82020: 80.62021: 80.92022: 81.9

Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).

Analysis

In 2022, labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) in Malaysia stood at 81.9%.

That represents a change of up 1.2% on the previous year and up 1.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) in Malaysia peaked at 86.0% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 75.8%, in 1991.

That places Malaysia 23rd out of 196 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 41 years of available data.

Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) in Malaysia, year by year

Annual values for Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) (national estimate) in Malaysia, 1970 to 2022.
Year Value Change
1970 78.5%
1980 78.7% +0.3%
1982 85.3% +8.5%
1983 85.6% +0.3%
1984 85.4% -0.2%
1985 85.6% +0.2%
1986 85.8% +0.3%
1987 85.6% -0.3%
1988 85.6% +0.0%
1989 85.6% -0.0%
1990 85.3% -0.4%
1991 75.8% -11.2%
1992 84.9% +12.0%
1993 86.0% +1.3%
1995 84.3% -2.0%
1996 84.9% +0.7%
1997 84.3% -0.7%
1998 83.3% -1.2%
1999 82.8% -0.5%
2000 81.7% -1.4%
2001 82.3% +0.8%
2002 81.5% -1.0%
2003 82.1% +0.7%
2004 80.9% -1.5%
2005 80.0% -1.1%
2007 79.5% -0.6%
2008 79.0% -0.6%
2009 78.9% -0.1%
2010 79.5% +0.8%
2011 79.7% +0.3%
2012 80.5% +1.0%
2013 81.0% +0.6%
2014 80.6% -0.5%
2015 80.6% +0.1%
2016 80.2% -0.6%
2017 80.1% -0.1%
2018 80.4% +0.4%
2019 80.8% +0.5%
2020 80.6% -0.2%
2021 80.9% +0.4%
2022 81.9% +1.2%

Malaysia compared with similar countries

  • Malaysia's 81.9% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 71.3%, 1.1× the median. (53 countries reporting)
  • Malaysia's 81.9% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 71.0%, 1.2× the median. (33 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 78.5% 78.5% 78.5% 1
1980s 84.8% 78.7% 85.8% 9
1990s 83.5% 75.8% 86.0% 9
2000s 80.7% 78.9% 82.3% 9
2010s 80.3% 79.5% 81.0% 10
2020s 81.1% 80.6% 81.9% 3

Countries ranked near Malaysia

  1. 20 Nigeria 82.7% compare
  2. 21 Belize 82.4% compare
  3. 22 Indonesia 82.2% compare
  4. 24 Madagascar 81.6% compare
  5. 25 Pakistan 81.5% compare
  6. 26 Mali 80.7% compare

See the full ranking of 220 places →

More work & labour data for Malaysia

All data for Malaysia →

Frequently asked questions

What is labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) in Malaysia?
Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) in Malaysia was 81.9% in 2022, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
What is the highest labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) recorded in Malaysia?
The highest recorded value was 86.0% in 1993.
What is the lowest labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) recorded in Malaysia?
The lowest recorded value was 75.8% in 1991.
How does Malaysia rank for labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+)?
Malaysia ranks 23rd out of 196 countries with data for 2022.
Is labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) rising or falling in Malaysia?
Over the last ten years it is up 1.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Malaysia data come from?
The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) in Malaysia. Statizoid, drawing on Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO). Retrieved 15 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/labor-force-participation-rate-male-percent-of-male-population-ages-15-national-estimate/malaysia/

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About this data

Indicator
Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) (national estimate)
Source
Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
220 places, 5,453 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed

Labor force participation rate is the proportion of the population ages 15 and older that is economically active: all people who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period.