Number of people living in extreme poverty in Malaysia
Malaysia: Number of people living in extreme poverty was 34.47 million people in 2021. ▲ Rising
Number of people living in extreme poverty in Malaysia, 1984–2021
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for number of people living in extreme poverty in Malaysia is 34.47 million people, measured in 2021. That is the highest value across all 14 years on record.
That represents a change of up 4.0% on the previous year and up 18.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people living in extreme poverty in Malaysia peaked at 34.47 million people in 2021 and was at its lowest, 13.78 million people, in 1984.
That places Malaysia 31st out of 120 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.
Number of people living in extreme poverty in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | 13.78 million people | — |
| 1987 | 15.32 million people | +11.2% |
| 1989 | 16.46 million people | +7.4% |
| 1992 | 17.89 million people | +8.7% |
| 1995 | 19.27 million people | +7.7% |
| 1997 | 21.01 million people | +9.0% |
| 2003 | 23.90 million people | +13.7% |
| 2006 | 25.98 million people | +8.7% |
| 2008 | 27.30 million people | +5.1% |
| 2011 | 29.06 million people | +6.4% |
| 2013 | 30.14 million people | +3.7% |
| 2015 | 31.71 million people | +5.2% |
| 2018 | 33.14 million people | +4.5% |
| 2021 | 34.47 million people | +4.0% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 34.47 million people is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 16.37 million people, 2.1× the median. (35 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 34.47 million people is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 71.66 million people, 48% of the median. (11 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 15.19 million people | 13.78 million people | 16.46 million people | 3 |
| 1990s | 19.39 million people | 17.89 million people | 21.01 million people | 3 |
| 2000s | 25.72 million people | 23.90 million people | 27.30 million people | 3 |
| 2010s | 31.01 million people | 29.06 million people | 33.14 million people | 4 |
| 2020s | 34.47 million people | 34.47 million people | 34.47 million people | 1 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More poverty & inequality data for Malaysia
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 2 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 1.55 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 3,524 kg per hectare (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate -1.48 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 12.57 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 12.6% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people living in extreme poverty in Malaysia?
- Number of people living in extreme poverty in Malaysia was 34.47 million people in 2021, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 34.47 million people in 2021.
- What is the lowest number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.78 million people in 1984.
- How does Malaysia rank for number of people living in extreme poverty?
- Malaysia ranks 31st out of 120 countries with data for 2021.
- Is number of people living in extreme poverty rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malaysia data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people living in extreme poverty. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of people living in households with an income or consumption above $3 per day.