IQ Career Lab

Average IQ in Malaysia

Malaysia has an average IQ of 95, ranking #54 out of 195 countries globally. This is considered above average on the worldwide scale.

95
Average IQ Score
Above Average (95–99) · Rank #54 of 195
Source: Becker (2019) (2019)

Key Statistics

Population
34,300,000
GDP per Capita (PPP)
$29,620
World Bank, 2023
Literacy Rate
95%
UNESCO, 2023
Human Development Index
0.807
UNDP, 2023
Mean Years of Schooling
10.6
Adults 25+
Education Expenditure
3.8%
% of GDP

Education System in Malaysia

Malaysia's education system includes 11 years of compulsory schooling with national examinations at multiple levels. The system operates in Malay with English as a second language.

IQ and Economic Development

Malaysia's GDP per capita of $29,620 indicates a middle-to-upper income economy. Research shows a moderate correlation (r ≈ 0.7) between national GDP and measured IQ, though this relationship is complex and bidirectional.

With 10.6 average years of schooling and a 3.8% GDP investment in education, Malaysia has room to increase education investment relative to GDP.

Countries with Similar IQ Scores

Asia Rankings

Data Sources for Malaysia

IQ Score:Becker (2019) (2019) — from the NIQ Dataset v1.3.3, the most comprehensive meta-analysis of national cognitive testing studies.
GDP & Education Spending:World Bank (2023)
HDI & Schooling:UNDP Human Development Report (2023–2024)
Literacy Rate:UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2023)
Population:UN World Population Prospects (2024)

National IQ estimates are approximate and based on meta-analyses of available cognitive testing data (Becker, 2019; Lynn & Vanhanen, 2012; World Population Review, 2025). These scores reflect measured test performance and are influenced by education, nutrition, healthcare, and socioeconomic factors — they do not measure innate intelligence. Within-country variation is much larger than between-country differences. IQ tests developed in Western contexts may not translate fairly across all cultures. Interpret with appropriate caution.

See the full methodology on our main IQ by Country page for complete source descriptions and data quality notes.

Frequently Asked Questions

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