Income share of the richest 1% vs. Gini coefficient (before tax) in Malaysia
Malaysia: Income share of the richest 1% vs. Gini coefficient (before tax) was 13.0% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Latest (2022)
13.0%
Change on year
up 6.4%
World rank
69th
of 113 countries
All-time high
20.4%
in 1973
All-time low
11.8%
in 2016
Years of data
43
1948–2022
Income share of the richest 1% vs. Gini coefficient (before tax) in Malaysia, 1948–2022
Source: World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2022, income share of the richest 1% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) in Malaysia stood at 13.0%.
That represents a change of up 6.4% on the previous year and down 21.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, income share of the richest 1% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) in Malaysia peaked at 20.4% in 1973 and was at its lowest, 11.8%, in 2016.
Malaysia ranks 69th of 113 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 43 years of available data.
Income share of the richest 1% vs. Gini coefficient (before tax) in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | 16.9% | — |
| 1949 | 15.6% | -7.4% |
| 1950 | 16.2% | +3.5% |
| 1951 | 15.8% | -2.0% |
| 1952 | 16.6% | +4.7% |
| 1953 | 15.8% | -4.6% |
| 1954 | 16.4% | +3.6% |
| 1955 | 17.1% | +4.4% |
| 1956 | 17.0% | -0.5% |
| 1957 | 17.2% | +1.4% |
| 1958 | 17.8% | +3.1% |
| 1959 | 17.9% | +0.8% |
| 1960 | 18.4% | +2.8% |
| 1961 | 18.9% | +2.6% |
| 1962 | 18.5% | -2.0% |
| 1963 | 18.9% | +1.9% |
| 1964 | 19.0% | +0.7% |
| 1965 | 19.0% | -0.3% |
| 1966 | 18.0% | -5.0% |
| 1967 | 18.2% | +1.0% |
| 1968 | 18.7% | +2.5% |
| 1969 | 18.1% | -2.9% |
| 1970 | 19.9% | +9.8% |
| 1971 | 19.7% | -1.1% |
| 1972 | 19.3% | -2.0% |
| 1973 | 20.4% | +5.7% |
| 1974 | 19.9% | -2.3% |
| 1975 | 19.7% | -1.2% |
| 1984 | 20.1% | +2.3% |
| 1987 | 19.1% | -5.0% |
| 1989 | 19.1% | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 19.2% | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 19.7% | +2.5% |
| 1997 | 19.9% | +1.2% |
| 2002 | 18.8% | -5.3% |
| 2004 | 16.9% | -10.2% |
| 2007 | 18.1% | +7.2% |
| 2009 | 18.1% | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 16.5% | -8.8% |
| 2014 | 14.9% | -9.7% |
| 2016 | 11.8% | -20.6% |
| 2019 | 12.2% | +3.6% |
| 2022 | 13.0% | +6.4% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 13.0% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 16.6%, 78% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 13.0% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 16.1%, 81% of the median. (14 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 16.2% | 15.6% | 16.9% | 2 |
| 1950s | 16.8% | 15.8% | 17.9% | 10 |
| 1960s | 18.6% | 18.0% | 19.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 19.8% | 19.3% | 20.4% | 6 |
| 1980s | 19.5% | 19.1% | 20.1% | 3 |
| 1990s | 19.6% | 19.2% | 19.9% | 3 |
| 2000s | 18.0% | 16.9% | 18.8% | 4 |
| 2010s | 13.8% | 11.8% | 16.5% | 4 |
| 2020s | 13.0% | 13.0% | 13.0% | 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 income share of the richest 1% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) in Malaysia?
- Income share of the richest 1% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) in Malaysia was 13.0% in 2022, according to World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest income share of the richest 1% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 20.4% in 1973.
- What is the lowest income share of the richest 1% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.8% in 2016.
- How does Malaysia rank for income share of the richest 1% vs. gini coefficient (before tax)?
- Malaysia ranks 69th out of 113 countries with data for 2022.
- Is income share of the richest 1% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malaysia data come from?
- The figures come from World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Income share of the richest 1% vs. Gini coefficient (before tax). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of income received by the richest 1% of the population. Income here is measured before taxes and benefits.