Employment by status in Malaysia
Malaysia: Employment by status was 74.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Employment by status in Malaysia, 1991–2024
Source: International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for employment by status in Malaysia is 74.5%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 1.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment by status in Malaysia peaked at 74.5% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 67.8%, in 1991.
That places Malaysia 71st out of 186 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Employment by status in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 67.8% | — |
| 1992 | 68.2% | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 68.6% | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 68.9% | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 69.3% | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 69.7% | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 70.0% | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 70.2% | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 70.2% | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 70.5% | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 70.7% | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 70.9% | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 71.1% | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 71.4% | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 71.7% | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 71.9% | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 72.3% | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 72.6% | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 72.6% | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 72.7% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 72.9% | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 72.9% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 73.1% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 73.2% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 73.4% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 73.5% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 73.7% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 73.9% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 74.0% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 74.0% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 74.2% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 74.3% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 74.4% | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 74.5% | +0.2% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 74.5% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 67.6%, 1.1× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 74.5% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 61.9%, 1.2× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 69.2% | 67.8% | 70.2% | 9 |
| 2000s | 71.6% | 70.5% | 72.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 73.3% | 72.7% | 74.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 74.3% | 74.0% | 74.5% | 5 |
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 employment by status in Malaysia?
- Employment by status in Malaysia was 74.5% in 2024, according to International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest employment by status recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 74.5% in 2024.
- What is the lowest employment by status recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 67.8% in 1991.
- How does Malaysia rank for employment by status?
- Malaysia ranks 71st out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
- Is employment by status rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malaysia data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Employment by status. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of people in employment working as employees, as a percentage of total employment.