Travel services in Malaysia
Malaysia: Travel services was 22.8% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Travel services in Malaysia, 1974–2024
Source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of service imports, BoP.
Analysis
In 2024, travel services in Malaysia stood at 22.8%.
The figure is up 6.6% on the previous year and down 17.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, travel services in Malaysia peaked at 34.5% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 9.9%, in 2021.
Malaysia ranks 78th of 198 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 51 years of available data.
Travel services in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | % of service imports, BoP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 22.8% | — |
| 1975 | 22.1% | -3.2% |
| 1976 | 23.6% | +6.7% |
| 1977 | 23.2% | -1.5% |
| 1978 | 24.7% | +6.2% |
| 1979 | 23.3% | -5.8% |
| 1980 | 24.5% | +5.3% |
| 1981 | 23.8% | -3.0% |
| 1982 | 26.0% | +9.4% |
| 1983 | 26.4% | +1.6% |
| 1984 | 26.8% | +1.6% |
| 1985 | 29.5% | +10.0% |
| 1986 | 32.9% | +11.7% |
| 1987 | 34.5% | +4.7% |
| 1988 | 31.0% | -10.0% |
| 1989 | 28.5% | -8.2% |
| 1990 | 26.4% | -7.2% |
| 1991 | 24.1% | -8.7% |
| 1992 | 24.1% | -0.0% |
| 1993 | 19.3% | -19.9% |
| 1994 | 16.5% | -14.4% |
| 1995 | 15.4% | -6.6% |
| 1996 | 14.6% | -5.4% |
| 1997 | 14.2% | -3.2% |
| 1998 | 13.6% | -3.9% |
| 1999 | 13.4% | -1.5% |
| 2000 | 12.4% | -7.5% |
| 2001 | 15.7% | +26.7% |
| 2002 | 15.9% | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 16.2% | +2.0% |
| 2004 | 16.5% | +1.6% |
| 2005 | 16.9% | +2.5% |
| 2006 | 18.0% | +6.5% |
| 2007 | 19.5% | +8.5% |
| 2008 | 22.2% | +13.4% |
| 2009 | 23.7% | +6.9% |
| 2010 | 25.5% | +7.6% |
| 2011 | 26.5% | +4.1% |
| 2012 | 28.2% | +6.2% |
| 2013 | 27.1% | -3.8% |
| 2014 | 27.5% | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 26.7% | -2.9% |
| 2016 | 26.1% | -2.1% |
| 2017 | 25.5% | -2.2% |
| 2018 | 27.2% | +6.6% |
| 2019 | 28.3% | +4.2% |
| 2020 | 14.3% | -49.4% |
| 2021 | 9.9% | -31.1% |
| 2022 | 14.9% | +50.5% |
| 2023 | 21.3% | +43.6% |
| 2024 | 22.8% | +6.6% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 22.8% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 22.9%, 99% of the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 22.8% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 22.6%, 1.0× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Travel services in Malaysia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | -49.4% | 28.3% | 14.3% |
| 2022 | +50.5% | 9.9% | 14.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 23.3% | 22.1% | 24.7% | 6 |
| 1980s | 28.4% | 23.8% | 34.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 18.2% | 13.4% | 26.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 17.7% | 12.4% | 23.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.9% | 25.5% | 28.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.6% | 9.9% | 22.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
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)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 13.04 billion BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0309 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 366.69 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 15.59 billion BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual 96.92 % change on previous year (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0369 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 438.53 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 8.09 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is travel services in Malaysia?
- Travel services in Malaysia was 22.8% in 2024, according to Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest travel services recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 34.5% in 1987.
- What is the lowest travel services recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.9% in 2021.
- How does Malaysia rank for travel services?
- Malaysia ranks 78th out of 198 countries with data for 2024.
- Is travel services rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malaysia data come from?
- The figures come from Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Travel services (% of service imports, BoP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 51 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Travel services cover goods and services for own use or to give away acquired from an economy by nonresidents during visits to that economy, or acquired from other economies by residents during visits to these other economies. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of service imports which are services provided by non-residents to residents.