Productivity: output per hour worked in Malaysia
Malaysia: Productivity: output per hour worked was 29.75 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
29.75 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour
Change on year
up 2.8%
World rank
60th
of 130 countries
All-time high
29.75 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour
in 2023
All-time low
5.98 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour
in 1970
Years of data
54
1970–2023
Productivity: output per hour worked in Malaysia, 1970–2023
Source: Feenstra et al. – Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in international-$ in 2021 prices per hour.
Analysis
In 2023, productivity: output per hour worked in Malaysia stood at 29.75 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour. That is the highest value across all 54 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.8% on the previous year and up 15.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, productivity: output per hour worked in Malaysia peaked at 29.75 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in 2023 and was at its lowest, 5.98 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour, in 1970.
Malaysia ranks 60th of 130 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 54 years of available data.
Productivity: output per hour worked in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 5.98 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | — |
| 1971 | 7.03 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +17.6% |
| 1972 | 7.28 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +3.6% |
| 1973 | 7.88 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +8.2% |
| 1974 | 8.39 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +6.5% |
| 1975 | 7.84 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -6.5% |
| 1976 | 8.03 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +2.4% |
| 1977 | 8.52 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +6.1% |
| 1978 | 8.96 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +5.2% |
| 1979 | 9.39 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +4.7% |
| 1980 | 9.9 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +5.4% |
| 1981 | 10.02 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +1.2% |
| 1982 | 10.24 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +2.2% |
| 1983 | 10.48 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +2.3% |
| 1984 | 10.98 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +4.8% |
| 1985 | 10.1 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -8.0% |
| 1986 | 9.23 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -8.7% |
| 1987 | 9.68 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +4.9% |
| 1988 | 10.25 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +5.9% |
| 1989 | 10.92 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +6.6% |
| 1990 | 11.82 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +8.2% |
| 1991 | 12.73 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +7.7% |
| 1992 | 13.17 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +3.5% |
| 1993 | 13.83 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +5.0% |
| 1994 | 14.58 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +5.5% |
| 1995 | 15.66 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +7.4% |
| 1996 | 16.57 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +5.8% |
| 1997 | 16.95 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +2.3% |
| 1998 | 14.47 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -14.6% |
| 1999 | 14.77 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +2.1% |
| 2000 | 16.22 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +9.8% |
| 2001 | 15.89 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -2.0% |
| 2002 | 16.22 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +2.0% |
| 2003 | 16.83 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +3.8% |
| 2004 | 18.22 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +8.3% |
| 2005 | 20.32 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +11.5% |
| 2006 | 20.28 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 22.04 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +8.7% |
| 2008 | 24.97 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +13.3% |
| 2009 | 22.96 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -8.0% |
| 2010 | 23.31 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 24.12 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +3.5% |
| 2012 | 25.98 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +7.7% |
| 2013 | 25.79 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 25.38 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -1.6% |
| 2015 | 24.52 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -3.4% |
| 2016 | 25.21 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +2.8% |
| 2017 | 25.78 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +2.3% |
| 2018 | 27.85 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +8.0% |
| 2019 | 27.19 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -2.4% |
| 2020 | 28.71 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +5.6% |
| 2021 | 28.22 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -1.7% |
| 2022 | 28.95 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +2.6% |
| 2023 | 29.75 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +2.8% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 29.75 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 20.42 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour, 1.5× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 29.75 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 24.39 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour, 1.2× the median. (14 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 7.93 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 5.98 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 9.39 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 10 |
| 1980s | 10.18 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 9.23 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 10.98 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 10 |
| 1990s | 14.45 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 11.82 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 16.95 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 10 |
| 2000s | 19.39 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 15.89 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 24.97 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.51 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 23.31 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 27.85 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 10 |
| 2020s | 28.91 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 28.22 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 29.75 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
- 57 Gabon 33.27 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
- 58 Chile 32.02 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
- 59 Mauritius 29.83 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
- 61 Oman 29.44 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
- 62 Egypt 28.79 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
- 63 North Macedonia 27.97 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
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 productivity: output per hour worked in Malaysia?
- Productivity: output per hour worked in Malaysia was 29.75 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in 2023, according to Feenstra et al. – Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest productivity: output per hour worked recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 29.75 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in 2023.
- What is the lowest productivity: output per hour worked recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.98 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in 1970.
- How does Malaysia rank for productivity: output per hour worked?
- Malaysia ranks 60th out of 130 countries with data for 2023.
- Is productivity: output per hour worked rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malaysia data come from?
- The figures come from Feenstra et al. – Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Productivity: output per hour worked. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Productivity is calculated as GDP divided by the total number of hours worked in the economy. This data is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.