Malaysia: Secondary education, general pupils

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2018, Malaysia's secondary education, general pupils fell 2.9% on 2017 (from 2.38 million to 2.31 million).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1986 to 2017), the average change was +1.5% and a typical year strayed about 3.1% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.4 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 11.3% in 1974 and the biggest yearly fall was 4.6% in 2016. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2009 to 2018 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 4% of the movement over 10 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.

How it compares

In 2018, Malaysia had the 18th highest value of the 85 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 2018 ranking

• Morocco — 14th of 85: 2.62 million
• Sri Lanka — 15th of 85: 2.62 million
• Uzbekistan — 16th of 85: 2.58 million
• Ukraine — 18th of 85: 2.2 million
• Tanzania — 19th of 85: 2.14 million
• Côte d'Ivoire — 20th of 85: 1.92 million

What this measures

Secondary general pupils are the number of secondary students enrolled in general education programs, including teacher training.

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

All 48 values

Secondary education, general pupils in nearby economies

• Australia — 1.68 million (2017)
• Brunei Darussalam — 38,822 (2018)
• Cambodia — 955,656 (2018)
• China — 68.39 million (2018)
• Fiji — 92,262 (2016)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 341,591 (2018)
• Indonesia — 19.99 million (2018)
• Kiribati — 9,548 (2017)
• Korea, Rep. — 2.78 million (2017)
• Lao PDR — 671,064 (2018)
• Macao SAR, China

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

• 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 secondary education, general pupils?

2.31 million in 2018, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1970?

It is up 292.56% from 587,902 in 1970 (2.89% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 2.58 million in 2015 and the lowest 587,902 in 1970.

How does Malaysia rank?

18th highest of 85 economies with data for 2018.

Is the latest change in secondary education, general pupils unusual for Malaysia?

In 2018, Malaysia's secondary education, general pupils fell 2.9% on 2017 (from 2.38 million to 2.31 million). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1986 to 2017), the average change was +1.5% and a typical year strayed about 3.1% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.4 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 SE.SEC.ENRL.GC, 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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