Number of people using the Internet in Malaysia
Malaysia: Number of people using the Internet was 34.85 million people in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Number of people using the Internet in Malaysia, 1990–2024
Source: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database - International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026); United Nations Population Division, national statistical offices, and Eurostat, vi. Measured in people.
Analysis
In 2024, number of people using the internet in Malaysia stood at 34.85 million people. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.6% on the previous year and up 78.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people using the internet in Malaysia peaked at 34.85 million people in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0 people, in 1990.
That places Malaysia 31st out of 208 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Number of people using the Internet in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0 people | — |
| 1992 | 197.76 people | — |
| 1993 | 4,927 people | +2391.5% |
| 1994 | 19,741 people | +300.7% |
| 1995 | 29,683 people | +50.4% |
| 1996 | 177,643 people | +498.5% |
| 1997 | 493,768 people | +178.0% |
| 1998 | 1.48 million people | +199.5% |
| 1999 | 2.76 million people | +86.6% |
| 2000 | 4.91 million people | +78.0% |
| 2001 | 6.28 million people | +27.9% |
| 2002 | 7.79 million people | +24.1% |
| 2003 | 8.63 million people | +10.7% |
| 2004 | 10.67 million people | +23.6% |
| 2005 | 12.56 million people | +17.7% |
| 2006 | 13.64 million people | +8.6% |
| 2007 | 15.04 million people | +10.2% |
| 2008 | 15.38 million people | +2.3% |
| 2009 | 15.72 million people | +2.2% |
| 2010 | 16.13 million people | +2.6% |
| 2011 | 17.79 million people | +10.3% |
| 2012 | 19.52 million people | +9.7% |
| 2013 | 17.22 million people | -11.8% |
| 2014 | 19.54 million people | +13.5% |
| 2015 | 22.20 million people | +13.6% |
| 2016 | 25.05 million people | +12.8% |
| 2017 | 25.93 million people | +3.5% |
| 2018 | 26.72 million people | +3.1% |
| 2019 | 28.15 million people | +5.3% |
| 2020 | 30.35 million people | +7.8% |
| 2021 | 33.17 million people | +9.3% |
| 2022 | 33.79 million people | +1.9% |
| 2023 | 34.32 million people | +1.5% |
| 2024 | 34.85 million people | +1.6% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 34.85 million people is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.93 million people, 7.1× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 34.85 million people is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 693,850 people, 50.2× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Number of people using the Internet in Malaysia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | +2391.5% | 197.76 people | 4,927 people |
| 1996 | +498.5% | 29,683 people | 177,643 people |
| 1994 | +300.7% | 4,927 people | 19,741 people |
| 1998 | +199.5% | 493,768 people | 1.48 million people |
| 1997 | +178.0% | 177,643 people | 493,768 people |
| 1999 | +86.6% | 1.48 million people | 2.76 million people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 551,581 people | 0 people | 2.76 million people | 9 |
| 2000s | 11.06 million people | 4.91 million people | 15.72 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 21.82 million people | 16.13 million people | 28.15 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 33.30 million people | 30.35 million people | 34.85 million people | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More science & technology data for Malaysia
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 139.66 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 1.4 units per person (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, gaps filled 49.66 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 152.6 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate -2.15 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate -0.9474 % change on previous year (2024)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 23,691 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0.0007 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people using the internet in Malaysia?
- Number of people using the internet in Malaysia was 34.85 million people in 2024, according to World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database - International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026); United Nations Population Division, national statistical offices, and Eurostat, vi.
- What is the highest number of people using the internet recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 34.85 million people in 2024.
- What is the lowest number of people using the internet recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 people in 1990.
- How does Malaysia rank for number of people using the internet?
- Malaysia ranks 31st out of 208 countries with data for 2024.
- Is number of people using the internet rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 78.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Malaysia data come from?
- The figures come from World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database - International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026); United Nations Population Division, national statistical offices, and Eurostat, vi, published as part of Number of people using the Internet. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of people who used the Internet in the last three months.