Labour dependency ratio in Malaysia

Malaysia: Labour dependency ratio was 0.975 in 2027. ▼ Falling

Latest (2027)
0.975
Change on year
down 1.1%
World rank
155th
of 188 countries
All-time high
1.92
in 1991
All-time low
0.975
in 2027
Years of data
37
1991–2027

Labour dependency ratio in Malaysia, 1991–2027

00.511.521991200920271991: 1.91992: 1.91993: 1.91994: 1.81995: 1.81996: 1.71997: 1.71998: 1.71999: 1.72000: 1.62001: 1.62002: 1.62003: 1.62004: 1.52005: 1.52006: 1.52007: 1.42008: 1.42009: 1.42010: 1.32011: 1.32012: 1.22013: 1.22014: 1.12015: 1.12016: 1.12017: 1.12018: 1.12019: 1.12020: 1.12021: 1.12022: 12023: 12024: 12025: 0.9972026: 0.9862027: 0.975

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

In 2027, labour dependency ratio in Malaysia stood at 0.975. That is the lowest value across all 37 years on record.

That represents a change of down 1.1% on the previous year and down 13.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, labour dependency ratio in Malaysia peaked at 1.92 in 1991 and was at its lowest, 0.975, in 2027.

That places Malaysia 155th out of 188 countries with data for 2027, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 37 years of available data.

Labour dependency ratio in Malaysia, year by year

Annual values for Labour dependency ratio (ILO modelled estimates) in Malaysia, 1991 to 2027.
Year Value Change
1991 1.92
1992 1.89 -1.8%
1993 1.87 -1.1%
1994 1.82 -2.4%
1995 1.78 -2.4%
1996 1.74 -2.6%
1997 1.71 -1.7%
1998 1.7 -0.5%
1999 1.67 -1.4%
2000 1.63 -2.6%
2001 1.62 -0.8%
2002 1.59 -1.7%
2003 1.57 -1.5%
2004 1.54 -1.9%
2005 1.51 -2.0%
2006 1.47 -2.5%
2007 1.44 -2.2%
2008 1.4 -2.4%
2009 1.37 -2.1%
2010 1.33 -3.1%
2011 1.29 -2.7%
2012 1.24 -3.9%
2013 1.2 -3.6%
2014 1.15 -4.3%
2015 1.13 -1.1%
2016 1.14 +0.2%
2017 1.12 -1.1%
2018 1.1 -2.1%
2019 1.08 -1.8%
2020 1.1 +2.3%
2021 1.09 -1.6%
2022 1.04 -4.5%
2023 1.02 -1.4%
2024 1.01 -1.1%
2025 0.997 -1.4%
2026 0.986 -1.1%
2027 0.975 -1.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 1.79 1.67 1.92 9
2000s 1.51 1.37 1.63 10
2010s 1.18 1.08 1.33 10
2020s 1.03 0.975 1.1 8

Countries ranked near Malaysia

  1. 152 Indonesia 0.98 compare
  2. 153 Bhutan 0.979 compare
  3. 154 Canada 0.977 compare
  4. 156 Ireland 0.97 compare
  5. 157 Belarus 0.967 compare
  6. 158 Taiwan, China 0.961 compare

See the full ranking of 276 places →

More work & labour data for Malaysia

All data for Malaysia →

Frequently asked questions

What is labour dependency ratio in Malaysia?
Labour dependency ratio in Malaysia was 0.975 in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest labour dependency ratio recorded in Malaysia?
The highest recorded value was 1.92 in 1991.
What is the lowest labour dependency ratio recorded in Malaysia?
The lowest recorded value was 0.975 in 2027.
How does Malaysia rank for labour dependency ratio?
Malaysia ranks 155th out of 188 countries with data for 2027.
Is labour dependency ratio rising or falling in Malaysia?
Over the last ten years it is down 13.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Malaysia data come from?
The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Labour dependency ratio (ILO modelled estimates). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 37 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Labour dependency ratio in Malaysia. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 06 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/labour-dependency-ratio-ilo-modelled-estimates/malaysia/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/labour-dependency-ratio-ilo-modelled-estimates/malaysia/">Labour dependency ratio in Malaysia</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Labour dependency ratio (ILO modelled estimates)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
276 places, 10,188 data points, 1991–2027
Last refreshed

Imputed observations are not based on national data, are subject to high uncertainty and should not be used for country comparisons or rankings. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. This indicator provides the ratio of dependents (persons aged 0 to 14 + persons aged 15 and above that are either outside the labour force or unemployed) to total employment. For more information, refer to the ILO Modelled Estimates (ILOEST) database description.