Civil Rights Score in Malaysia
Malaysia: Civil Rights Score was 6 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Civil Rights Score in Malaysia, 2005–2025
Source: Bertelsmann Transformation Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Malaysia recorded 6 for civil rights score in 2025.
That represents a change of up 20.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, civil rights score in Malaysia peaked at 7 in 2007 and was at its lowest, 5, in 2015.
That places Malaysia 31st out of 128 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.
Civil Rights Score in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6 | — |
| 2007 | 7 | +16.7% |
| 2009 | 6 | -14.3% |
| 2011 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 5 | -16.7% |
| 2017 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 6 | +20.0% |
| 2021 | 5 | -16.7% |
| 2023 | 6 | +20.0% |
| 2025 | 6 | +0.0% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 6 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5, 1.2× the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 6 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.5, 1.7× the median. (14 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 6.33 | 6 | 7 | 3 |
| 2010s | 5.6 | 5 | 6 | 5 |
| 2020s | 5.67 | 5 | 6 | 3 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
- 31 Bolivia 6 compare
- 31 Cote d'Ivoire 6 compare
- 31 Ghana 6 compare
- 31 Hungary 6 compare
- 31 Indonesia 6 compare
- 31 Lebanon 6 compare
- 31 Lesotho 6 compare
- 31 Liberia 6 compare
- 31 Malawi 6 compare
- 31 Namibia 6 compare
- 31 Nepal 6 compare
- 31 Panama 6 compare
- 31 Papua New Guinea 6 compare
- 31 Paraguay 6 compare
- 31 Peru 6 compare
- 31 Qatar 6 compare
- 31 Senegal 6 compare
- 31 Serbia 6 compare
- 31 Singapore 6 compare
- 31 Sri Lanka 6 compare
- 31 Ukraine 6 compare
- 31 Zambia 6 compare
More social development data for Malaysia
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 150,164 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 2,477 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 4 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 4 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0001 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 2,477 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0042 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is civil rights score in Malaysia?
- Civil rights score in Malaysia was 6 in 2025, according to Bertelsmann Transformation Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest civil rights score recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 7 in 2007.
- What is the lowest civil rights score recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 5 in 2015.
- How does Malaysia rank for civil rights score?
- Malaysia ranks 31st out of 128 countries with data for 2025.
- Is civil rights score rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malaysia data come from?
- The figures come from Bertelsmann Transformation Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Civil Rights Score. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Indicates the extent to which civil rights are codified in law, and the state prosecutes any violations and works to prevent discrimination.