Central government debt, total in Malaysia

Malaysia: Central government debt, total was 64.6% in 2024. ▬ Flat

Latest (2024)
64.6%
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
27th
of 83 countries
All-time high
79.5%
in 1990
All-time low
39.8%
in 2008
Years of data
29
1990–2024

Central government debt, total in Malaysia, 1990–2024

0204060801990200720241990: 79.5 % of GDP1991: 73.3 % of GDP1992: 64.4 % of GDP1993: 55.7 % of GDP1994: 47.6 % of GDP1995: 41.1 % of GDP2002: 43 % of GDP2003: 45.1 % of GDP2004: 45.7 % of GDP2005: 42.1 % of GDP2006: 40.6 % of GDP2007: 40.1 % of GDP2008: 39.8 % of GDP2009: 50.8 % of GDP2010: 49.6 % of GDP2011: 50 % of GDP2012: 51.6 % of GDP2013: 53 % of GDP2014: 52.7 % of GDP2015: 53.6 % of GDP2016: 51.9 % of GDP2017: 50 % of GDP2018: 51.2 % of GDP2019: 52.4 % of GDP2020: 62 % of GDP2021: 63.3 % of GDP2022: 60.1 % of GDP2023: 64.3 % of GDP2024: 64.6 % of GDP

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for central government debt, total in Malaysia is 64.6%, measured in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 22.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, central government debt, total in Malaysia peaked at 79.5% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 39.8%, in 2008.

Malaysia ranks 27th of 83 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Central government debt, total in Malaysia, year by year

Annual values for Central government debt, total (% of GDP) in Malaysia, 1990 to 2024.
Year % of GDP Change
1990 79.5%
1991 73.3% -7.8%
1992 64.4% -12.2%
1993 55.7% -13.5%
1994 47.6% -14.5%
1995 41.1% -13.8%
2002 43.0% +4.8%
2003 45.1% +4.7%
2004 45.7% +1.4%
2005 42.1% -7.9%
2006 40.6% -3.5%
2007 40.1% -1.2%
2008 39.8% -0.7%
2009 50.8% +27.7%
2010 49.6% -2.5%
2011 50.0% +0.9%
2012 51.6% +3.2%
2013 53.0% +2.6%
2014 52.7% -0.6%
2015 53.6% +1.7%
2016 51.9% -3.1%
2017 50.0% -3.5%
2018 51.2% +2.3%
2019 52.4% +2.4%
2020 62.0% +18.3%
2021 63.3% +2.0%
2022 60.1% -4.9%
2023 64.3% +6.9%
2024 64.6% +0.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 60.3% 41.1% 79.5% 6
2000s 43.4% 39.8% 50.8% 8
2010s 51.6% 49.6% 53.6% 10
2020s 62.9% 60.1% 64.6% 5

Countries ranked near Malaysia

  1. 24 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 68.3% compare
  2. 25 Vanuatu 67.9% compare
  3. 26 Uruguay 65.3% compare
  4. 28 Burkina Faso 64.2% compare
  5. 29 Canada 64.1% compare
  6. 30 Thailand 61.9% compare

See the full ranking of 90 places →

More economy & growth data for Malaysia

All data for Malaysia →

Frequently asked questions

What is central government debt, total in Malaysia?
Central government debt, total in Malaysia was 64.6% 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 79.5% in 1990.
What is the lowest central government debt, total recorded in Malaysia?
The lowest recorded value was 39.8% in 2008.
How does Malaysia rank for central government debt, total?
Malaysia ranks 27th 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 22.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
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 (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 29 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Central government debt, total in Malaysia. Statizoid, drawing on Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Retrieved 08 September 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/central-government-debt-total-percent-of-gdp/malaysia/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/central-government-debt-total-percent-of-gdp/malaysia/">Central government debt, total in Malaysia</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Central government debt, total (% of GDP)
Unit
% of GDP
Source
Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
90 places, 1,726 data points, 1970–2024
Last refreshed

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 as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.