Malaysia: Primary government expenditures as a proportion of original approved budget (%)

Key figures

Since 2007 it is down 9.29 percentage points from 112.25% in 2007. The World Bank has no value for 4 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2024, Malaysia's primary government expenditures as a proportion of original approved budget (%) fell 2.95 percentage points on 2023 (from 105.9% to 102.96%).

Across the 11 yearly changes before that (2008 to 2023), the average change was −0.9 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 5.2 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations below 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 6.78 percentage points in 2010 and the biggest yearly fall was 10.23 percentage points in 2009. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

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

How it compares

In 2024, Malaysia had the 5th highest value of the 28 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 2024 ranking

• Romania — 2nd of 28: 107.66%
• Maldives — 3rd of 28: 106.49%
• Azerbaijan — 4th of 28: 104.84%
• Mauritius — 6th of 28: 101.04%
• Indonesia — 7th of 28: 100.76%
• Rwanda — 8th of 28: 100.62%

What this measures

Primary government expenditures as a proportion of original approved budget measures the extent to which aggregate budget expenditure outturn reflects the amount originally approved, as defined in government budget documentation and fiscal reports. The coverage is budgetary central government (BCG) and the time period covered is the last three completed fiscal years.

Limitations: Although not all countries have used the PEFA methodology on an annual basis for the PEFA PI-1 indicator, the methodology relies on standard data sets for approved and final budget outturns which are commonly produced at least annually in every country. The countries that have not used the methodology to date are primarily highly developed countries which would have less difficulty in providing the necessary data than those in the lower and middle income categories that have been primary users of Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) to date. (As of: 2024-07-29) One limitation of the indicator is that it is an aggregate indicator of budget reliability.

All 14 values

Primary government expenditures as a proportion of original approved budget (%) in nearby economies

• Australia — 100.63% (2023)
• Cambodia — 94.69% (2020)
• China — 98.07% (2024)
• Fiji — 94.23% (2024)
• Indonesia — 100.76% (2024)
• Japan — 123% (2022)
• Kiribati — 100.77% (2022)
• Marshall Islands — 97.87% (2019)

More public sector data for Malaysia

• Military expenditure (current USD) — 4.93 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 21.13 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 1.04% (2025)
• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 7 million (2024)
• Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) — 4.43% (2025)
• Intentional homicides (per 100,000 people) — 0.73 (2023)
• Armed forces personnel, total — 136,000 (2020)
• Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) — 0.81% (2020)
• Central government debt, total (current LCU) — 1.25 trillion (2024)
• Central government debt, total (% of GDP)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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Questions people ask

What is Malaysia's primary government expenditures as a proportion of original approved budget (%)?

102.96% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2007?

It is down 9.29 percentage points from 112.25% in 2007. The highest value was 112.25% in 2007 and the lowest 94.86% in 2015.

How does Malaysia rank?

5th highest of 28 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in primary government expenditures as a proportion of original approved budget (%) unusual for Malaysia?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator GF.XPD.BUDG.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA), World Bank (WB), uri: https://www.pefa.org/node/5239, note: The raw data collected in order to calculate this indicator are the initially Approved and Executed Budgets. 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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