Number of people living in extreme poverty: September 2024 data vs. latest data in Malaysia

Malaysia: Number of people living in extreme poverty: September 2024 data vs. latest data was 4,510 people in 2021. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2021)
4,510 people
Change on year
down 54.9%
World rank
107th
of 120 countries
All-time high
1.06 million people
in 1995
All-time low
4,510 people
in 2021
Years of data
14
1984–2021

Number of people living in extreme poverty: September 2024 data vs. latest data in Malaysia, 1984–2021

0250.0k500.0k750.0k1.0M1984200220211984: 982.4k people1987: 953.2k people1989: 855.2k people1992: 942.5k people1995: 1.1M people1997: 366.4k people2003: 783.1k people2006: 438.9k people2008: 410.8k people2011: 106.2k people2013: 32.8k people2015: 16.6k people2018: 10.0k people2021: 4.5k people

Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.

Analysis

In 2021, number of people living in extreme poverty: september 2024 data vs. latest data in Malaysia stood at 4,510 people. That is the lowest value across all 14 years on record.

That represents a change of down 54.9% on the previous year and down 95.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of people living in extreme poverty: september 2024 data vs. latest data in Malaysia peaked at 1.06 million people in 1995 and was at its lowest, 4,510 people, in 2021.

Malaysia ranks 107th of 120 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 930,238 people 855,188 people 982,360 people 3
1990s 790,918 people 366,371 people 1.06 million people 3
2000s 544,267 people 410,799 people 783,065 people 3
2010s 41,390 people 9,997 people 106,185 people 4
2020s 4,510 people 4,510 people 4,510 people 1

Countries ranked near Malaysia

  1. 104 Kazakhstan 7,932 people compare
  2. 105 Jordan 7,644 people compare
  3. 106 Uruguay 5,661 people compare
  4. 109 Estonia 4,343 people compare
  5. 110 Moldova 3,176 people compare

See the full ranking of 120 places →

More poverty & inequality data for Malaysia

All data for Malaysia →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of people living in extreme poverty: september 2024 data vs. latest data in Malaysia?
Number of people living in extreme poverty: september 2024 data vs. latest data in Malaysia was 4,510 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: september 2024 data vs. latest data recorded in Malaysia?
The highest recorded value was 1.06 million people in 1995.
What is the lowest number of people living in extreme poverty: september 2024 data vs. latest data recorded in Malaysia?
The lowest recorded value was 4,510 people in 2021.
How does Malaysia rank for number of people living in extreme poverty: september 2024 data vs. latest data?
Malaysia ranks 107th out of 120 countries with data for 2021.
Is number of people living in extreme poverty: september 2024 data vs. latest data rising or falling in Malaysia?
Over the last ten years it is down 95.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
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: September 2024 data vs. latest data. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Number of people living in extreme poverty: September 2024 data vs. latest data
Unit
people
Source
World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
120 places, 2,148 data points, 1963–2025
Last refreshed

Number of people living in households with an income or consumption below $3 per day.