Taxes on income, profits and capital gains in Malaysia
Malaysia: Taxes on income, profits and capital gains was 64.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Taxes on income, profits and capital gains in Malaysia, 1996–2024
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of total taxes.
Analysis
In 2024, taxes on income, profits and capital gains in Malaysia stood at 64.3%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.3% on the previous year and down 9.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, taxes on income, profits and capital gains in Malaysia peaked at 71.4% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 46.1%, in 1996.
That places Malaysia 11th out of 153 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 29 years of available data.
Taxes on income, profits and capital gains in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | % of total taxes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 46.1% | — |
| 1997 | 48.7% | +5.7% |
| 1998 | 59.9% | +22.9% |
| 1999 | 59.4% | -0.9% |
| 2000 | 55.5% | -6.6% |
| 2001 | 64.0% | +15.3% |
| 2002 | 63.1% | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 62.3% | -1.2% |
| 2004 | 62.2% | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 61.5% | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 66.2% | +7.6% |
| 2007 | 67.5% | +2.0% |
| 2008 | 68.1% | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 68.6% | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 66.5% | -3.1% |
| 2011 | 70.3% | +5.8% |
| 2012 | 71.4% | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 71.2% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 71.0% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 61.4% | -13.6% |
| 2016 | 58.8% | -4.2% |
| 2017 | 59.2% | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 68.5% | +15.6% |
| 2019 | 68.2% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 65.9% | -3.4% |
| 2021 | 68.2% | +3.4% |
| 2022 | 66.7% | -2.1% |
| 2023 | 67.9% | +1.7% |
| 2024 | 64.3% | -5.3% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 64.3% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 37.1%, 1.7× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 64.3% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 39.9%, 1.6× the median. (25 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 53.5% | 46.1% | 59.9% | 4 |
| 2000s | 63.9% | 55.5% | 68.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 66.6% | 58.8% | 71.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 66.6% | 64.3% | 68.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More public sector data for Malaysia
- Democracy, 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)
- Elected parliament, 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)
- 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 taxes on income, profits and capital gains in Malaysia?
- Taxes on income, profits and capital gains in Malaysia was 64.3% in 2024, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest taxes on income, profits and capital gains recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 71.4% in 2012.
- What is the lowest taxes on income, profits and capital gains recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 46.1% in 1996.
- How does Malaysia rank for taxes on income, profits and capital gains?
- Malaysia ranks 11th out of 153 countries with data for 2024.
- Is taxes on income, profits and capital gains rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.5%. 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 Taxes on income, profits and capital gains (% of total taxes). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Taxes on income, profits, and capital gains are taxes payable on the actual or presumed incomes, profits and capital gains. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of total taxes which includes all compulsory, unrequited payments, in cash or in kind, made by institutional units to government units.