Number of people living in extreme poverty in Malaysia
Malaysia: Number of people living in extreme poverty was 4,510 people in 2021. ◆ Volatile
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 people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for number of people living in extreme poverty in Malaysia is 4,510 people, measured in 2021. That is the lowest value across all 14 years on record.
The figure is 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 in Malaysia peaked at 1.06 million people in 1995 and was at its lowest, 4,510 people, in 2021.
That places Malaysia 107th 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
More poverty & inequality data for Malaysia
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 2 surveys (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)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 12.6% (2023)
- Gender Inequality Index 0.172 (2023)
- Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty 12.5% (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient in women 0.1011 (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient by sex 0.1011 (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient in men 0.1209 (2023)
- Income inequality: Atkinson index 0.2476 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people living in extreme poverty in Malaysia?
- Number of people living in extreme poverty 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 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 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?
- Malaysia ranks 107th out of 120 countries with data for 2021.
- Is number of people living in extreme poverty 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. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Number of people living in households with an income or consumption below $3 per day.