Labor force participation rate in Malaysia
Malaysia: Labor force participation rate was 66.12 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
66.12
Change on year
up 0.0%
World rank
52nd
of 186 countries
All-time high
66.22
in 2022
All-time low
56.28
in 1990
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Labor force participation rate in Malaysia, 1990–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, labor force participation rate in Malaysia stood at 66.12.
That represents a change of up 1.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force participation rate in Malaysia peaked at 66.22 in 2022 and was at its lowest, 56.28, in 1990.
Malaysia ranks 52nd 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.
Labor force participation rate in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 56.28 | — |
| 1991 | 56.32 | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 56.68 | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 57.04 | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 57.4 | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 57.77 | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 58.15 | +0.7% |
| 1997 | 58.53 | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 58.9 | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 59.26 | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 59.54 | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 59.72 | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 59.85 | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 59.98 | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 60.11 | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 60.27 | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 60.45 | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 60.69 | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 60.96 | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 61.27 | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 61.6 | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 61.94 | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 62.95 | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 63.96 | +1.6% |
| 2014 | 64.96 | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 65.19 | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 65.09 | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 65.2 | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 65.57 | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 65.87 | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 65.47 | -0.6% |
| 2021 | 65.62 | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 66.22 | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 66.18 | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 66.11 | -0.1% |
| 2025 | 66.12 | +0.0% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 66.12 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 60.51, 1.1× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 66.12 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 64.35, 1.0× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 57.63 | 56.28 | 59.26 | 10 |
| 2000s | 60.28 | 59.54 | 61.27 | 10 |
| 2010s | 64.23 | 61.6 | 65.87 | 10 |
| 2020s | 65.95 | 65.47 | 66.22 | 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 labor force participation rate in Malaysia?
- Labor force participation rate in Malaysia was 66.12 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest labor force participation rate recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 66.22 in 2022.
- What is the lowest labor force participation rate recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 56.28 in 1990.
- How does Malaysia rank for labor force participation rate?
- Malaysia ranks 52nd out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force participation rate rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.4%. 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 Labor force participation rate. 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).