Share of the population in poverty vs. Electoral Democracy Index in Malaysia
Malaysia: Share of the population in poverty vs. Electoral Democracy Index was 5.6% in 2021. ◆ Volatile
Share of the population in poverty vs. Electoral Democracy Index in Malaysia, 1984–2021
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Malaysia recorded 5.6% for share of the population in poverty vs. electoral democracy index in 2021. That is the lowest value across all 14 years on record.
The figure is down 25.1% on the previous year and down 73.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population in poverty vs. electoral democracy index in Malaysia peaked at 52.3% in 1989 and was at its lowest, 5.6%, in 2021.
That places Malaysia 87th out of 120 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of the population in poverty vs. Electoral Democracy Index in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | 51.2% | — |
| 1987 | 52.1% | +1.8% |
| 1989 | 52.3% | +0.4% |
| 1992 | 48.4% | -7.5% |
| 1995 | 47.1% | -2.6% |
| 1997 | 37.7% | -20.0% |
| 2003 | 38.5% | +2.2% |
| 2006 | 32.9% | -14.5% |
| 2008 | 32.0% | -2.7% |
| 2011 | 21.3% | -33.4% |
| 2013 | 12.6% | -40.7% |
| 2015 | 9.8% | -22.5% |
| 2018 | 7.5% | -23.3% |
| 2021 | 5.6% | -25.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 51.9% | 51.2% | 52.3% | 3 |
| 1990s | 44.4% | 37.7% | 48.4% | 3 |
| 2000s | 34.5% | 32.0% | 38.5% | 3 |
| 2010s | 12.8% | 7.5% | 21.3% | 4 |
| 2020s | 5.6% | 5.6% | 5.6% | 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 share of the population in poverty vs. electoral democracy index in Malaysia?
- Share of the population in poverty vs. electoral democracy index in Malaysia was 5.6% in 2021, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population in poverty vs. electoral democracy index recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 52.3% in 1989.
- What is the lowest share of the population in poverty vs. electoral democracy index recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.6% in 2021.
- How does Malaysia rank for share of the population in poverty vs. electoral democracy index?
- Malaysia ranks 87th out of 120 countries with data for 2021.
- Is share of the population in poverty vs. electoral democracy index rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 73.6%. 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 Share of the population in poverty vs. Electoral Democracy Index. 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
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below $10 per day.