Tourism contribution to GDP in Malaysia
Malaysia: Tourism contribution to GDP was 4.5% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Tourism contribution to GDP in Malaysia, 2008–2023
Source: UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, tourism contribution to gdp in Malaysia stood at 4.5%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 66.5% on the previous year and down 25.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tourism contribution to gdp in Malaysia peaked at 6.8% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 0.8%, in 2021.
That places Malaysia 31st out of 100 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 16 years of available data.
Tourism contribution to GDP in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 4.9% | — |
| 2009 | 5.4% | +11.4% |
| 2010 | 5.6% | +2.8% |
| 2011 | 5.6% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 5.6% | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 6.0% | +5.5% |
| 2014 | 6.3% | +5.3% |
| 2015 | 6.4% | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 6.6% | +3.1% |
| 2017 | 6.4% | -2.5% |
| 2018 | 6.5% | +2.0% |
| 2019 | 6.8% | +3.5% |
| 2020 | 2.0% | -70.4% |
| 2021 | 0.8% | -62.3% |
| 2022 | 2.7% | +255.3% |
| 2023 | 4.5% | +66.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5.1% | 4.9% | 5.4% | 2 |
| 2010s | 6.2% | 5.6% | 6.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.5% | 0.8% | 4.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
- 29 Tunisia 4.9% compare
- 30 Cameroon 4.8% compare
- 32 Saudi Arabia 4.4% compare
- 33 Nigeria 4.3% compare
- 34 Mozambique 4.0% compare
More economy & growth data for Malaysia
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 3.04 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 3.97 Percent per annum (2029)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant LCU), per capita 11,100 constant LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), annual 7.88 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 0.3567 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 4,681 current US$ per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), annual 1 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), per 1.53 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), per 20,056 current LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 4.53 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is tourism contribution to gdp in Malaysia?
- Tourism contribution to gdp in Malaysia was 4.5% in 2023, according to UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest tourism contribution to gdp recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 6.8% in 2019.
- What is the lowest tourism contribution to gdp recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.8% in 2021.
- How does Malaysia rank for tourism contribution to gdp?
- Malaysia ranks 31st out of 100 countries with data for 2023.
- Is tourism contribution to gdp rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malaysia data come from?
- The figures come from UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Tourism contribution to GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Percentage of a country's GDP that comes directly from tourism, including spending by visitors and the industries that serve them.