Malaysia: Progression to secondary school (%)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2016, Malaysia's progression to secondary school (%) rose 3.86 percentage points on 2015 (from 87.19% to 91.05%).

Across the 13 yearly changes before that (1999 to 2015), the average change was −0.95 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.78 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 6.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 3.86 percentage points in 2016 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.22 percentage points in 2012. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2007 to 2016 the straight-line trend is downward, about 1.12 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 81% 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 2016, Malaysia had the 42nd highest value of the 46 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 2016 ranking

• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 39th of 46: 95.74%
• Côte d'Ivoire — 40th of 46: 91.94%
• Indonesia — 41st of 46: 91.5%
• Nepal — 43rd of 46: 82.38%
• Mali — 44th of 46: 78.31%
• Senegal — 45th of 46: 72.98%

What this measures

Progression to secondary school refers to the number of new entrants to the first grade of secondary school in a given year as a percentage of the number of students enrolled in the final grade of primary school in the previous year (minus the number of repeaters from the last grade of primary education in the given year).

Limitations: The quality of data on the transition rate is affected when new entrants and repeaters are not correctly distinguished. Students who interrupt their studies after completing primary education could also affect data quality.

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

All 16 values

Progression to secondary school (%) in nearby economies

• Brunei Darussalam — 99.8% (2017)
• Cambodia — 89.85% (2017)
• Fiji — 98.02% (2015)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 99.93% (2017)
• Indonesia — 91.5% (2016)
• Kiribati — 96.34% (2015)
• Korea, Rep. — 99.64% (2016)
• Lao PDR — 86.18% (2017)
• Macao SAR, China — 99.2% (2017)
• Mongolia — 99.27% (2017)
• Philippines

More education data for Malaysia

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 12 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Secondary education, pupils — 2.64 million (2024)
• School enrollment, secondary (% gross) — 80.28% (2024)
• School enrollment, secondary, female (% gross) — 81.54% (2024)
• School enrollment, secondary, male (% gross) — 79.11% (2024)
• Secondary education, teachers — 217,105 (2024)
• Primary education, pupils — 3.06 million (2024)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Malaysia's progression to secondary school (%)?

91.05% in 2016, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1998?

It is down 8 percentage points from 99.05% in 1998. The highest value was 99.69% in 2004 and the lowest 87.19% in 2015.

How does Malaysia rank?

42nd highest of 46 economies with data for 2016.

Is the latest change in progression to secondary school (%) unusual for Malaysia?

In 2016, Malaysia's progression to secondary school (%) rose 3.86 percentage points on 2015 (from 87.19% to 91.05%). Across the 13 yearly changes before that (1999 to 2015), the average change was −0.95 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.78 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 6.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.SEC.PROG.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://uis.unesco.org/bdds, publisher: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) 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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