How much do Malaysians earn?
Median & mean monthly salary in Malaysia, 2024
In 2024, the median monthly salary for Malaysian citizens was RM2,793 and the mean was RM3,652, up 7.3% and 6.1% from 2023.
The 9-year climb (with a COVID dip)
Median and mean monthly salary, Malaysian citizens, 2016–2024. Median fell in 2020 during the pandemic before recovering.
Men still earn more than women
Median and mean monthly salary by sex, 2024.
The education premium is real
Median and mean monthly salary by highest education attainment, 2024.
Mining pays most, farming least
Mean and median monthly salary by economic sector, 2024.
What it means
- The median (RM2,793) sits well below the mean (RM3,652), a sign that higher earners pull the average up, so "average salary" overstates what a typical Malaysian makes.
- Salaries dipped in 2020 during the pandemic (median fell from RM2,442 to RM2,076) and only passed the pre-COVID level again around 2022–2023.
- A tertiary education roughly doubles the median salary versus secondary (RM4,131 vs RM2,046).
- A gender gap persists: women's median salary is about 7% below men's.
- Publisher
- Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) · Government, national statistics office
- Document
- Salaries & Wages Survey Report, Malaysia, 2024
- Published
- 2025
- Source link
- https://www.dosm.gov.my/portal-main/release-content/salaries-and-wages-survey-report-2024
- Retrieved
- 2026-06-30
- Coverage
- Figures refer to Malaysian citizens. From 2020 onward, estimates are based on the Population & Housing Census of Malaysia 2020. Median = the middle earner; mean = the average.
Frequently asked
What is the median salary in Malaysia in 2024?
The median monthly salary for Malaysian citizens was RM2,793 in 2024, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM). The mean (average) was RM3,652.
What is the average salary in Malaysia?
The mean monthly salary was RM3,652 in 2024 (DOSM). Note the median, RM2,793, better reflects a typical earner, because a minority of high earners raises the average.
How much did salaries grow in 2024?
Median monthly salary rose 7.3% and mean rose 6.1% versus 2023, per DOSM's Salaries & Wages Survey Report 2024.
Malaysia, decoded monthly
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