Malaysia: Labor force with intermediate education (% of total working-age population with intermediate education)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2022, Malaysia's labor force with intermediate education (% of total working-age population with intermediate education) fell 1.15 percentage points on 2021 (from 68.81% to 67.66%).

Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2012 to 2021), the average change was +0.77 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.92 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 2.31 percentage points in 2021 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.15 percentage points in 2022. 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 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 18% of the movement over 9 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

What this measures

The ratio of the labor force with intermediate education to the working-age population with intermediate education. Intermediate education comprises upper secondary or post-secondary non tertiary education according to the International Standard Classification of Education 2011 (ISCED 2011).

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 15 values

Labor force with intermediate education (% of total working-age population with intermediate education) in nearby economies

• Australia — 71.82% (2024)
• Cambodia — 84.54% (2023)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 62.41% (2024)
• Indonesia — 71.34% (2023)
• Korea, Rep. — 61.55% (2025)
• Mongolia — 59.54% (2024)
• Thailand — 74.16% (2024)

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)
• Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) (national estimate) — 69.3% (2022)
• Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate) — 4.1% (2022)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Malaysia's labor force with intermediate education (% of total working-age population with intermediate education)?

67.66% in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1970?

It is up 22.85 percentage points from 44.81% in 1970. The highest value was 68.81% in 2021 and the lowest 44.81% in 1970.

Is the latest change in labor force with intermediate education (% of total working-age population with intermediate education) unusual for Malaysia?

In 2022, Malaysia's labor force with intermediate education (% of total working-age population with intermediate education) fell 1.15 percentage points on 2021 (from 68.81% to 67.66%). Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2012 to 2021), the average change was +0.77 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.92 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SL.TLF.INTM.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Education and Mismatch Indicators database (EMI), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external database, date accessed: March 30, 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.

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