Central government debt, total in Malaysia
Malaysia: Central government debt, total was 1.25 trillion current LCU in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Central government debt, total in Malaysia, 1990–2024
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in current LCU.
Analysis
In 2024, central government debt, total in Malaysia stood at 1.25 trillion current LCU. That is the highest value across all 29 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 6.4% on the previous year and up 114.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, central government debt, total in Malaysia peaked at 1.25 trillion current LCU in 2024 and was at its lowest, 91.37 billion current LCU, in 1995.
Malaysia ranks 37th of 83 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Central government debt, total in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | current LCU | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 94.71 billion current LCU | — |
| 1991 | 99.07 billion current LCU | +4.6% |
| 1992 | 97.00 billion current LCU | -2.1% |
| 1993 | 95.90 billion current LCU | -1.1% |
| 1994 | 93.08 billion current LCU | -2.9% |
| 1995 | 91.37 billion current LCU | -1.8% |
| 2002 | 164.96 billion current LCU | +80.5% |
| 2003 | 188.77 billion current LCU | +14.4% |
| 2004 | 216.62 billion current LCU | +14.8% |
| 2005 | 228.67 billion current LCU | +5.6% |
| 2006 | 242.22 billion current LCU | +5.9% |
| 2007 | 266.72 billion current LCU | +10.1% |
| 2008 | 306.44 billion current LCU | +14.9% |
| 2009 | 362.39 billion current LCU | +18.3% |
| 2010 | 407.10 billion current LCU | +12.3% |
| 2011 | 456.13 billion current LCU | +12.0% |
| 2012 | 501.62 billion current LCU | +10.0% |
| 2013 | 539.86 billion current LCU | +7.6% |
| 2014 | 582.83 billion current LCU | +8.0% |
| 2015 | 630.54 billion current LCU | +8.2% |
| 2016 | 648.48 billion current LCU | +2.8% |
| 2017 | 686.84 billion current LCU | +5.9% |
| 2018 | 741.05 billion current LCU | +7.9% |
| 2019 | 793.00 billion current LCU | +7.0% |
| 2020 | 879.56 billion current LCU | +10.9% |
| 2021 | 979.81 billion current LCU | +11.4% |
| 2022 | 1.08 trillion current LCU | +10.2% |
| 2023 | 1.17 trillion current LCU | +8.6% |
| 2024 | 1.25 trillion current LCU | +6.4% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 1.25 trillion current LCU is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 309.59 billion current LCU, 4.0× the median. (33 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 1.25 trillion current LCU is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 736.11 billion current LCU, 1.7× the median. (16 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Central government debt, total 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | +80.5% | 91.37 billion current LCU | 164.96 billion current LCU |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 95.19 billion current LCU | 91.37 billion current LCU | 99.07 billion current LCU | 6 |
| 2000s | 247.10 billion current LCU | 164.96 billion current LCU | 362.39 billion current LCU | 8 |
| 2010s | 598.74 billion current LCU | 407.10 billion current LCU | 793.00 billion current LCU | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.07 trillion current LCU | 879.56 billion current LCU | 1.25 trillion current LCU | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More public sector data for Malaysia
- Democracy, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Democracy 6 (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected 1 (2025)
- Elected parliament 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is central government debt, total in Malaysia?
- Central government debt, total in Malaysia was 1.25 trillion current LCU in 2024, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest central government debt, total recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 1.25 trillion current LCU in 2024.
- What is the lowest central government debt, total recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 91.37 billion current LCU in 1995.
- How does Malaysia rank for central government debt, total?
- Malaysia ranks 37th out of 83 countries with data for 2024.
- Is central government debt, total rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 114.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Malaysia data come from?
- The figures come from Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Central government debt, total (current LCU). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Debt is the entire stock of direct government fixed-term contractual obligations to others outstanding on a particular date. It includes domestic and foreign liabilities such as currency and money deposits, securities other than shares, and loans. It is the gross amount of government liabilities reduced by the amount of equity and financial derivatives held by the government. Because debt is a stock rather than a flow, it is measured as of a given date, usually the last day of the fiscal year. Central government is the part of general government that includes all administrative departments of the national executive, legislative, and judicial functions, other central agencies and those non-market producers controlled by the central government, whose competence extends normally over the whole economic territory. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This series is expressed in local currency units.