The share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Malaysia
Malaysia: The share and number of people living in extreme poverty was 0.0% in 2021. ◆ Volatile
The share and 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 %.
Analysis
Malaysia recorded 0.0% for the share and number of people living in extreme poverty in 2021. That is the lowest value across all 14 years on record.
The figure is down 56.6% on the previous year and down 96.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, the share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Malaysia peaked at 6.7% in 1984 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 2021.
That places Malaysia 114th out of 120 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
The share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | 6.7% | — |
| 1987 | 5.9% | -12.0% |
| 1989 | 4.9% | -15.7% |
| 1992 | 5.0% | +1.3% |
| 1995 | 5.2% | +4.6% |
| 1997 | 1.7% | -67.2% |
| 2003 | 3.2% | +85.1% |
| 2006 | 1.7% | -47.6% |
| 2008 | 1.5% | -10.8% |
| 2011 | 0.4% | -75.4% |
| 2013 | 0.1% | -70.2% |
| 2015 | 0.1% | -51.9% |
| 2018 | 0.0% | -42.3% |
| 2021 | 0.0% | -56.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 5.8% | 4.9% | 6.7% | 3 |
| 1990s | 4.0% | 1.7% | 5.2% | 3 |
| 2000s | 2.1% | 1.5% | 3.2% | 3 |
| 2010s | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.4% | 4 |
| 2020s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 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 the share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Malaysia?
- The share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Malaysia was 0.0% in 2021, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest the share and number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 6.7% in 1984.
- What is the lowest the share and number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 2021.
- How does Malaysia rank for the share and number of people living in extreme poverty?
- Malaysia ranks 114th out of 120 countries with data for 2021.
- Is the share and number of people living in extreme poverty rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 96.4%. 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 The share and 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
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below $3 per day.