Malaysia's labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) (national estimate) was 69.3% in 2022, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 3.7 percentage points from 65.6% in 2012.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 69.3% | 2022 |
| Five years earlier | 68% | 2017 |
| Ten years earlier | 65.6% | 2012 |
| Highest | 69.3% | 2022 |
| Lowest | 55.65% | 1991 |
| Average since 2013 | 68.18% | 2013–2022 |
| First recorded | 57.03% | 1970 |
What the numbers say
In 2022, Malaysia's labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) (national estimate) rose 0.7 percentage points on 2021 (from 68.6% to 69.3%).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1988 to 2021), the average change was +0.13 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.87 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 10.28 percentage points in 1992 and the biggest yearly fall was 10.9 percentage points in 1991. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2013 to 2022 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.19 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 90% of the movement over 10 observed years.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
How it compares
In 2022, Malaysia had the 7th highest value of the 12 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Malaysia | 69.3% | 2022 |
| World | 58.44% | 2019 |
| East Asia & Pacific | 68.45% | 2018 |
| Upper middle income | 66.46% | 2018 |
Closest to Malaysia in the 2022 ranking
- Togo — 4th of 12: 70.73%
- Oman — 5th of 12: 70.6%
- San Marino — 6th of 12: 70.47%
- Kazakhstan — 8th of 12: 68.7%
- Côte d'Ivoire — 9th of 12: 67.15%
- Azerbaijan — 10th of 12: 65.7%
What this measures
Labor force participation rate is the proportion of the population ages 15 and older that is economically active: all people who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period.
Limitations: Data on the labor force are compiled by the ILO from labor force surveys, censuses, and establishment censuses and surveys. For some countries a combination of these sources is used. Labor force surveys are the most comprehensive source for internationally comparable labor force data. They can cover all non-institutionalized civilians, all branches and sectors of the economy, and all categories of workers, including people holding multiple jobs. By contrast, labor force data from population censuses are often based on a limited number of questions on the economic characteristics of individuals, with little scope to probe.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.
All 41 values
| Year | Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) (national estimate) |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 69.3 |
| 2021 | 68.6 |
| 2020 | 68.4 |
| 2019 | 68.7 |
| 2018 | 68.3 |
| 2017 | 68 |
| 2016 | 67.7 |
| 2015 | 67.88 |
| 2014 | 67.6 |
| 2013 | 67.3 |
Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) (national estimate) in nearby economies
- Australia — 66.94% (2025)
- Brunei Darussalam — 63.61% (2025)
- Cambodia — 79.61% (2025)
- China — 70.26% (2018)
- Fiji — 54.83% (2024)
- Hong Kong SAR, China — 56.99% (2025)
- Indonesia — 67.35% (2023)
- Japan
More social protection & labor data for Malaysia
- Net migration — 166,615 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum — 150,164 (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15+) (national estimate) — 55.8% (2022)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) (national estimate) — 68.13% (2022)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) (national estimate) — 81.9% (2022)
- Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate) — 4.1% (2022)
- Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (national estimate) — 3.8% (2022)
- Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (national estimate)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Malaysia's labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) (national estimate)?
- 69.3% in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1970?
- It is up 12.27 percentage points from 57.03% in 1970. The highest value was 69.3% in 2022 and the lowest 55.65% in 1991.
- How does Malaysia rank?
- 7th highest of 12 economies with data for 2022.
- Is the latest change in labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) (national estimate) unusual for Malaysia?
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SL.TLF.CACT.NE.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external database, date accessed: September 28, 2026 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.
Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.
Legal entity
Devansh Yadav
Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh
Governing law: Courts at Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh
Phone: +91 8433475698
Legal: legal@analyzeit.in