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Malaysia — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Malaysia, 1991–2025.
Latest value · 2025
3.76%
Unemployment Rate · % of total labor force · +1.7% since 1991
Unemployment for Malaysia was 3.76% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 4.64% in 2021. The lowest was 2.45% in 1997 (about 1.5× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 0.05% per year.
Malaysia ranks 124 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 66%. The median for East Asia & Pacific is 3.05%, so Malaysia sits above it. It peaked in 2021 and has fallen 19% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved up 21%.
Key figures
Latest (2025)
3.76%
First (1991)
3.70%
Change
+1.7%
Highest
4.64%
in 2021
Lowest
2.45%
in 1997
Average
3.45%
Annual growth (CAGR)
0.05%
Years of data
35
Recent years
| Year | % of total labor force |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 3.76% |
| 2024 | 3.85% |
| 2023 | 3.86% |
| 2022 | 3.93% |
| 2021 | 4.64% |
| 2020 | 4.54% |
| 2019 | 3.33% |
| 2018 | 3.3% |
| 2017 | 3.41% |
| 2016 | 3.44% |
| 2015 | 3.1% |
| 2014 | 2.88% |
Reading this correctly. Share of the labor force without work but available for and seeking employment. National definitions differ, so cross-country comparison needs care. Figures are in % of total labor force. Comparing this series with a different measure of the same concept (for example a nominal figure against a purchasing-power-parity figure) will give misleading results.
Related data
Source. World Bank Open Data, indicator
SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS — Unemployment Rate. Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.