Malaysia's official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) was US$4.28 in 2025, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 9.7% from US$3.91 in 2015 (0.93% a year on average, compounded).
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | US$4.28 | 2025 |
| Five years earlier | US$4.2 | 2020 |
| Ten years earlier | US$3.91 | 2015 |
| Highest | US$4.58 | 2024 |
| Lowest | US$2.18 | 1980 |
| Average since 2016 | US$4.28 | 2016–2025 |
| First recorded | US$3.06 | 1960 |
What the numbers say
In 2025, Malaysia's official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) fell US$0.29 on 2024 (from US$4.58 to US$4.28).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +US$0.07 and a typical year strayed about US$0.27 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was US$1.11 in 1998 and the biggest yearly fall was US$0.38 in 1973. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2016 to 2025 the straight-line trend is upward, about US$0.04 a year. A straight line explains 42% 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 2025, Malaysia had the 106th highest value of the 193 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.
Closest to Malaysia in the 2025 ranking
- Brazil — 103rd of 193: US$5.59
- Libya — 104th of 193: US$5.3
- Romania — 105th of 193: US$4.47
- Papua New Guinea — 107th of 193: US$4.12
- Poland — 108th of 193: US$3.76
- Saudi Arabia — 109th of 193: US$3.75
What this measures
Official exchange rate refers to the exchange rate determined by national authorities or to the rate determined in the legally sanctioned exchange market. This indicator represents the ratio of Local Currency Units relative to United States dollars.This indicator is derived as an average over the reference period.
Limitations: Official or market exchange rates are often used to convert economic statistics in local currencies to a common currency in order to make comparisons across countries. Since market rates reflect at best the relative prices of tradable goods, the volume of goods and services that a U.S. dollar buys in the United States may not correspond to what a U.S. dollar converted to another country's currency at the official exchange rate would buy in that country, particularly when nontradable goods and services account for a significant share of a country's output.
All 66 values
| Year | Official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 4.28 |
| 2024 | 4.58 |
| 2023 | 4.56 |
| 2022 | 4.4 |
| 2021 | 4.14 |
| 2020 | 4.2 |
| 2019 | 4.14 |
| 2018 | 4.04 |
| 2017 | 4.3 |
| 2016 | 4.15 |
| 2015 |
Official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) in nearby economies
- American Samoa — US$1 (2025)
- Australia — US$1.55 (2025)
- Brunei Darussalam — US$1.31 (2025)
- Cambodia — US$4,013 (2025)
- China — US$7.19 (2025)
- Fiji — US$2.3 (2025)
- French Polynesia — US$105.86 (2025)
- Guam — US$1 (2025)
- Hong Kong SAR, China — US$7.8 (2025)
- Indonesia
More financial sector data for Malaysia
- Domestic credit to private sector by banks (% of GDP) — 117.92% (2025)
- Net domestic credit (current LCU) — 2.96 trillion (2025)
- Net foreign assets (current LCU) — 289.8 billion (2025)
- Monetary sector credit to private sector (% of GDP) — 117.94% (2025)
- Broad money (current LCU) — 2.44 trillion (2025)
- Broad money (% of GDP) — 120.64% (2025)
- Broad money to total reserves ratio — 4.53 (2025)
- Consumer price index (2010 = 100) — 134.6 (2025)
- Inflation, consumer prices (annual % growth) — 1.38% (2025)
- Claims on central government, etc. (% of GDP)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Malaysia's official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average)?
- US$4.28 in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1960?
- It is up 39.96% from US$3.06 in 1960 (0.52% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$4.58 in 2024 and the lowest US$2.18 in 1980.
- How does Malaysia rank?
- 106th highest of 193 economies with data for 2025.
- Is the latest change in official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) unusual for Malaysia?
- In 2025, Malaysia's official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) fell US$0.29 on 2024 (from US$4.58 to US$4.28). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +US$0.07 and a typical year strayed about US$0.27 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator PA.NUS.FCRF, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF) 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.
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