Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Malaysia
Malaysia: Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income was 16.5% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Malaysia, 1984–2021
Source: World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Malaysia is 16.5%, measured in 2021.
The figure is down 2.9% on the previous year and down 10.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Malaysia peaked at 21.1% in 1997 and was at its lowest, 15.9%, in 2013.
That places Malaysia 26th out of 123 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.
Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | 20.2% | — |
| 1987 | 19.5% | -3.5% |
| 1989 | 18.6% | -4.6% |
| 1992 | 20.4% | +9.7% |
| 1995 | 20.8% | +2.0% |
| 1997 | 21.1% | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 20.0% | -5.2% |
| 2006 | 19.0% | -5.0% |
| 2008 | 20.1% | +5.8% |
| 2011 | 18.5% | -8.0% |
| 2013 | 15.9% | -14.1% |
| 2015 | 16.4% | +3.1% |
| 2018 | 17.0% | +3.7% |
| 2021 | 16.5% | -2.9% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 16.5% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 14.8%, 1.1× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 16.5% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 11.3%, 1.5× the median. (11 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 19.4% | 18.6% | 20.2% | 3 |
| 1990s | 20.8% | 20.4% | 21.1% | 3 |
| 2000s | 19.7% | 19.0% | 20.1% | 3 |
| 2010s | 16.9% | 15.9% | 18.5% | 4 |
| 2020s | 16.5% | 16.5% | 16.5% | 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 proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Malaysia?
- Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Malaysia was 16.5% in 2021, according to World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ.
- What is the highest proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 21.1% in 1997.
- What is the lowest proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.9% in 2013.
- How does Malaysia rank for proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income?
- Malaysia ranks 26th out of 123 countries with data for 2021.
- Is proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malaysia data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ, published as part of Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
The percentage of people in the population who live in households whose per capita income or consumption is below half of the median income or consumption per capita. The median is measured at 2021 Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) using the Poverty and Inequality Platform (http://www.pip.worldbank.org). For some countries, medians are not reported due to grouped and/or confidential data. The reference year is the year in which the underlying household survey data was collected. In cases for which the data collection period bridged two calendar years, the first year in which data were collected is reported.