Compensation of employees in Malaysia

Malaysia: Compensation of employees was 29.6% in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
29.6%
Change on year
up 8.3%
World rank
63rd
of 155 countries
All-time high
35.5%
in 2017
All-time low
25.8%
in 1999
Years of data
28
1996–2023

Compensation of employees in Malaysia, 1996–2023

0102030401996200920231996: 34.3 % of expense1997: 27.6 % of expense1998: 29.4 % of expense1999: 25.8 % of expense2000: 27.8 % of expense2001: 26.4 % of expense2002: 29.9 % of expense2003: 29.4 % of expense2004: 26.6 % of expense2005: 26.6 % of expense2006: 27 % of expense2007: 27 % of expense2008: 27.2 % of expense2009: 27.7 % of expense2010: 31.2 % of expense2011: 27.9 % of expense2012: 29.5 % of expense2013: 29.1 % of expense2014: 30.7 % of expense2015: 32.5 % of expense2016: 34.9 % of expense2017: 35.5 % of expense2018: 34.7 % of expense2019: 30.7 % of expense2020: 31.7 % of expense2021: 32.1 % of expense2022: 27.3 % of expense2023: 29.6 % of expense

Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of expense.

Analysis

In 2023, compensation of employees in Malaysia stood at 29.6%.

That represents a change of up 8.3% on the previous year and up 1.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, compensation of employees in Malaysia peaked at 35.5% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 25.8%, in 1999.

That places Malaysia 63rd out of 155 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.

Compensation of employees in Malaysia, year by year

Annual values for Compensation of employees (% of expense) in Malaysia, 1996 to 2023.
Year % of expense Change
1996 34.3%
1997 27.6% -19.7%
1998 29.4% +6.6%
1999 25.8% -12.0%
2000 27.8% +7.6%
2001 26.4% -5.0%
2002 29.9% +13.2%
2003 29.4% -1.5%
2004 26.6% -9.7%
2005 26.6% +0.2%
2006 27.0% +1.3%
2007 27.0% +0.2%
2008 27.2% +0.7%
2009 27.7% +1.7%
2010 31.2% +12.5%
2011 27.9% -10.5%
2012 29.5% +5.7%
2013 29.1% -1.3%
2014 30.7% +5.8%
2015 32.5% +5.9%
2016 34.9% +7.2%
2017 35.5% +1.6%
2018 34.7% -2.2%
2019 30.7% -11.6%
2020 31.7% +3.3%
2021 32.1% +1.4%
2022 27.3% -14.9%
2023 29.6% +8.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 29.3% 25.8% 34.3% 4
2000s 27.6% 26.4% 29.9% 10
2010s 31.7% 27.9% 35.5% 10
2020s 30.2% 27.3% 32.1% 4

Countries ranked near Malaysia

  1. 60 Kiribati 31.4% compare
  2. 61 Niger 31.3%
  3. 62 Palau 31.0% compare
  4. 64 Ukraine 28.6% compare
  5. 65 Ecuador 28.6% compare
  6. 66 Ghana 28.3% compare

See the full ranking of 196 places →

More public sector data for Malaysia

All data for Malaysia →

Frequently asked questions

What is compensation of employees in Malaysia?
Compensation of employees in Malaysia was 29.6% in 2023, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
What is the highest compensation of employees recorded in Malaysia?
The highest recorded value was 35.5% in 2017.
What is the lowest compensation of employees recorded in Malaysia?
The lowest recorded value was 25.8% in 1999.
How does Malaysia rank for compensation of employees?
Malaysia ranks 63rd out of 155 countries with data for 2023.
Is compensation of employees rising or falling in Malaysia?
Over the last ten years it is up 1.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
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 Compensation of employees (% of expense). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Compensation of employees in Malaysia. Statizoid, drawing on Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/compensation-of-employees-percent-of-expense/malaysia/

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About this data

Indicator
Compensation of employees (% of expense)
Unit
% of expense
Source
Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
196 places, 5,286 data points, 1972–2024
Last refreshed

Compensation of employees is defined as the total remuneration, in cash or in kind, payable by an enterprise to an employee in return for work done by the latter during the accounting period. This indicator is expressed as percentage of total expenses which is any decrease in net worth resulting from a transaction.