Freedom in Malaysia
Where Malaysia sits on every statistic this site carries, each against the countries the same source covers. Malaysia has a figure for 56 of 60 indicators.
Personal
What a person may say, believe, publish, join and where they may go.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom of expression | 0.586 | 2025 | 101 of 163 |
| Freedom of association | 0.791 | 2025 | 74 of 163 |
| Civil liberties | 0.739 | 2025 | 85 of 163 |
| Freedom from political violence | 0.884 | 2025 | 51 of 163 |
| Equal protection of rights | 0.635 | 2025 | 85 of 163 |
| Academic freedom | 0.289 | 2025 | 117 of 163 |
| Media censorship effort | -0.017 | 2025 | 100 of 163 |
| Harassment of journalists | 0.996 | 2025 | 58 of 163 |
| Media self-censorship | 0.018 | 2025 | 107 of 163 |
| Universal right to vote | 1.000 | 2025 | 89 of 167 |
| Legal rights for women | 60.6 | 2023 | 134 of 164 |
| Women can get a passport as men do | 1.000 | 2023 | 93 of 164 |
| Access to justice for women | 0.000 | 2025 | 116 of 163 |
| Access to justice for men | 0.000 | 2025 | 121 of 163 |
| Civil liberties score | 31.0 | 2025 | 88 of 167 |
| Political rights score | 22.0 | 2025 | 84 of 167 |
Economic
What a person may own, trade, earn and keep.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trade openness | 136.4% | 2025 | 17 of 125 |
| Tax revenue as a share of GDP | 12.4% | 2024 | 19 of 83 |
| Government spending as a share of GDP | 17.0% | 2023 | 14 of 79 |
| Regulatory quality | 65.6 | 2024 | 37 of 169 |
| GDP per capita | $35.5K | 2025 | 48 of 157 |
| GDP growth | 5.2% | 2025 | — |
| Inflation | 1.4% | 2025 | — |
| Unemployment | 3.8% | 2025 | 58 of 163 |
| Government debt | 64.6% | 2024 | — |
Digital
What a person may read, send and encrypt online, and who is watching.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet use | 98.0% | 2024 | 9 of 154 |
| Fixed broadband subscriptions | 13.5 | 2024 | 73 of 134 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 139.7 | 2024 | 28 of 134 |
Government
How power is held, checked and abused.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electoral democracy | 0.504 | 2025 | 79 of 163 |
| Liberal democracy | 0.355 | 2025 | 79 of 163 |
| Rule of law | 0.698 | 2025 | 58 of 163 |
| Judicial checks on government | 0.777 | 2025 | 57 of 163 |
| Legislative checks on government | 0.466 | 2025 | 96 of 157 |
| Political corruption | 0.322 | 2025 | 53 of 163 |
| Civil society participation | 0.755 | 2025 | 62 of 163 |
| Women’s political empowerment | 0.772 | 2025 | 80 of 163 |
| Voice and accountability | 54.6 | 2024 | 80 of 170 |
| Control of corruption | 57.9 | 2024 | 46 of 170 |
| Government effectiveness | 69.1 | 2024 | 32 of 169 |
| Political stability | 72.5 | 2024 | 50 of 170 |
Society
Health, schooling, safety and who takes part.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human Development Index | 0.819 | 2023 | 57 of 165 |
| Life expectancy | 76.8 | 2024 | 61 of 170 |
| Secondary school enrolment | 80.3% | 2024 | 65 of 85 |
| Government spending on education | 3.5% | 2023 | — |
| Health spending | 4.0% | 2023 | — |
| Health costs paid out of pocket | 37.1% | 2023 | 107 of 164 |
| Maternal mortality | 26.0 | 2023 | 70 of 167 |
| Women in parliament | 13.5% | 2025 | 134 of 156 |
| Women in the workforce | 51.6% | 2025 | — |
| Fertility rate | 1.54 | 2024 | — |
| Urban population | 77.4% | 2025 | — |
| Refugees who left | 3.4 | 2024 | 50 of 168 |
| Population | 36M | 2025 | — |
Environment
Energy, emissions and access to power.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| CO₂ emissions per person | 8.32 | 2024 | 144 of 165 |
| Renewable energy use | 7.5% | 2021 | 143 of 169 |
| Access to electricity | 100.0% | 2024 | 55 of 169 |
What is missing
4 of the 60 statistics here have no figure for Malaysia in the year they were last ranked. Coverage differs by source: an indicator missing here is one its producer does not publish for Malaysia, not a zero. Who publishes what