Income share of the richest 20% — all countries

Income share of the richest 20% — Malaysia

Income share of the richest 20% in Malaysia in 2021 — 46.9%. Ranked 69 in the world out of 81. Since 1984, the indicator has fallen by 6.9 pp.

2021 46.9% −0.4 pp vs 2018
World rank 69of 81
Period maximum 54.3%1997
Period minimum 46.9%2021

Trend over time

1984–2021 · % of income

Income share of the richest 20% — Malaysia, 1984–202146485052545619841988199219962000200420082012201620201984: 53.8%1987: 52.7%1989: 52%1992: 53.1%1995: 53.8%1997: 54.3%2003: 51.7%2006: 50.3%2008: 50.8%2011: 49.2%2013: 47.7%2015: 47.3%2018: 47.3%2021: 46.9%
Change over the period: −6.9 pp Annual average: -0.19 pp
Income share of the richest 20% — Malaysia, by year Malaysia All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2021 46.9
2018 47.3
2015 47.3
2013 47.7
2011 49.2
2008 50.8
2006 50.3
2003 51.7
1997 54.3
1995 53.8
1992 53.1
1989 52
1987 52.7
1984 53.8

South-Eastern Asia, 2021

The same indicator for neighboring countries — with links to their pages

About the indicator

The share of total income or consumption that goes to the richest twenty percent of the population. Under complete equality it would be twenty percent; in the most unequal countries of Latin America and Southern Africa it comes to more than sixty. The ratio of this share to the share of the poorest quintile — the quintile ratio, S80/S20 — was historically the first measure of inequality, and it speaks more clearly than the Gini index about the gap between the poles.

Important: There are no aggregates for country groups for the same reason as with the Gini index: the quintile of a group is not a union of national quintiles. Household surveys systematically understate the incomes of the richest, so real inequality is higher than measured.

Source: World Development Indicators (World Bank), license CC BY 4.0.