Malaysia: Gini index

Key figures

Since 1984 it is down 16.08% from 48.5 in 1984 (0.47% a year on average, compounded). The World Bank has no value for 24 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

Closest to Malaysia in the 2021 ranking

• Côte d'Ivoire — 2nd of 8: 35.3
• Montenegro — 3rd of 8: 34.3
• Korea, Rep. — 4th of 8: 32.9

What this measures

Gini index measures the extent to which the distribution of income (or, in some cases, consumption expenditure) among individuals or households within an economy deviates from a perfectly equal distribution. A Lorenz curve plots the cumulative percentages of total income received against the cumulative number of recipients, starting with the poorest individual or household. The Gini index measures the area between the Lorenz curve and a hypothetical line of absolute equality, expressed as a percentage of the maximum area under the line. Thus a Gini index of 0 represents perfect equality, while an index of 100 implies perfect inequality.

Limitations: Gini coefficients are not unique. It is possible for two different Lorenz curves to give rise to the same Gini coefficient. Furthermore it is possible for the Gini coefficient of a developing country to rise (due to increasing inequality of income) while the number of people in absolute poverty decreases. This is because the Gini coefficient measures relative, not absolute, wealth. Another limitation of the Gini coefficient is that it is not additive across groups, i.e. the total Gini of a society is not equal to the sum of the Gini's for its sub-groups.

All 14 values

Gini index in nearby economies

• Australia — 33.8 (2020)
• China — 36 (2022)
• Indonesia — 34.4 (2025)
• Japan — 32.3 (2020)
• Korea, Rep. — 32.9 (2021)
• Mongolia — 31.4 (2022)
• Philippines — 39.3 (2023)
• Thailand — 33.3 (2024)
• Viet Nam — 36.1 (2022)

More poverty data for Malaysia

• Income share held by second 20% — 10.2% (2021)
• Income share held by third 20% — 15% (2021)
• Income share held by fourth 20% — 22.1% (2021)
• Income share held by highest 20% — 46.9% (2021)
• Income share held by highest 10% — 30.9% (2021)
• Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%) — 16.5% (2021)
• Income share held by lowest 10% — 2.3% (2021)
• Income share held by lowest 20% — 5.9% (2021)
• Poverty headcount ratio at $3.00 a day (2021 PPP) (% of population) — 0% (2021)
• Poverty gap at $3.00 a day (2021 PPP) (%)

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Questions people ask

What is Malaysia's gini index?

40.7 in 2021, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1984?

It is down 16.08% from 48.5 in 1984 (0.47% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 49.1 in 1997 and the lowest 40.7 in 2021.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income economies are mostly from the Luxembourg Income Study database..

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SI.POV.GINI, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income economies are mostly from the Luxembourg Income Study database. Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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