Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Malaysia
Malaysia: Research & development spending as a share of GDP was 1.0% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Malaysia, 1996–2022
Source: UNESCO UIS Stat Bulk Data Download Service, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for research & development spending as a share of gdp in Malaysia is 1.0%, measured in 2022.
That represents a change of up 6.5% on the previous year and down 7.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, research & development spending as a share of gdp in Malaysia peaked at 1.4% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 1996.
Malaysia ranks 41st of 116 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 17 years of available data.
Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 0.2% | — |
| 1998 | 0.4% | +83.8% |
| 2000 | 0.5% | +17.9% |
| 2002 | 0.7% | +39.1% |
| 2004 | 0.6% | -8.1% |
| 2006 | 0.6% | +1.9% |
| 2008 | 0.8% | +29.0% |
| 2009 | 1.0% | +28.1% |
| 2010 | 1.0% | +2.6% |
| 2011 | 1.0% | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 1.1% | +5.7% |
| 2014 | 1.3% | +15.6% |
| 2015 | 1.3% | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 1.4% | +10.6% |
| 2018 | 1.0% | -26.5% |
| 2020 | 1.0% | -8.6% |
| 2022 | 1.0% | +6.5% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 1.0% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.3%, 3.5× the median. (36 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 1.0% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.0%, 1.0× the median. (15 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.4% | 2 |
| 2000s | 0.7% | 0.5% | 1.0% | 6 |
| 2010s | 1.2% | 1.0% | 1.4% | 7 |
| 2020s | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1.0% | 2 |
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 research & development spending as a share of gdp in Malaysia?
- Research & development spending as a share of gdp in Malaysia was 1.0% in 2022, according to UNESCO UIS Stat Bulk Data Download Service, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest research & development spending as a share of gdp recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 1.4% in 2016.
- What is the lowest research & development spending as a share of gdp recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 1996.
- How does Malaysia rank for research & development spending as a share of gdp?
- Malaysia ranks 41st out of 116 countries with data for 2022.
- Is research & development spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malaysia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO UIS Stat Bulk Data Download Service, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Research & development spending as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 17 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Includes basic research, applied research, and experimental development.