LGBT+ Rights Index in Malaysia
Malaysia: LGBT+ Rights Index was -3.31 in 2025. ▼ Falling
LGBT+ Rights Index in Malaysia, 1991–2025
Source: Velasco (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Malaysia recorded -3.31 for lgbt+ rights index in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.9% on the previous year and down 47.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, lgbt+ rights index in Malaysia peaked at -1.64 in 1991 and was at its lowest, -3.31, in 2025.
That places Malaysia 188th out of 194 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
LGBT+ Rights Index in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | -1.64 | — |
| 1992 | -1.64 | -0.0% |
| 1993 | -1.64 | -0.0% |
| 1994 | -1.64 | -0.0% |
| 1995 | -1.64 | -0.0% |
| 1996 | -1.64 | -0.0% |
| 1997 | -1.64 | -0.0% |
| 1998 | -1.7 | +3.8% |
| 1999 | -1.7 | -0.0% |
| 2000 | -1.7 | -0.0% |
| 2001 | -1.7 | -0.0% |
| 2002 | -1.7 | -0.0% |
| 2003 | -1.7 | -0.0% |
| 2004 | -1.7 | -0.0% |
| 2005 | -1.7 | -0.0% |
| 2006 | -1.7 | -0.0% |
| 2007 | -1.7 | -0.0% |
| 2008 | -1.7 | -0.0% |
| 2009 | -1.7 | -0.0% |
| 2010 | -2.25 | +32.4% |
| 2011 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 2012 | -2.12 | -5.6% |
| 2013 | -2.12 | -0.0% |
| 2014 | -2.25 | +5.9% |
| 2015 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 2016 | -3.12 | +38.9% |
| 2017 | -3.19 | +2.0% |
| 2018 | -3.19 | -0.0% |
| 2019 | -3.19 | -0.0% |
| 2020 | -3.19 | -0.0% |
| 2021 | -3.19 | -0.0% |
| 2022 | -3.06 | -3.9% |
| 2023 | -3.06 | -0.0% |
| 2024 | -3.25 | +6.1% |
| 2025 | -3.31 | +1.9% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's -3.31 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 2. (58 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's -3.31 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.25. (30 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | -1.65 | -1.7 | -1.64 | 9 |
| 2000s | -1.7 | -1.7 | -1.7 | 10 |
| 2010s | -2.59 | -3.19 | -2.12 | 10 |
| 2020s | -3.18 | -3.31 | -3.06 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
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 lgbt+ rights index in Malaysia?
- Lgbt+ rights index in Malaysia was -3.31 in 2025, according to Velasco (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest lgbt+ rights index recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was -1.64 in 1991.
- What is the lowest lgbt+ rights index recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was -3.31 in 2025.
- How does Malaysia rank for lgbt+ rights index?
- Malaysia ranks 188th out of 194 countries with data for 2025.
- Is lgbt+ rights index rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 47.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malaysia data come from?
- The figures come from Velasco (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of LGBT+ Rights Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Summary measure of a country's LGBTI-related laws, calculated by subtracting the sum of its regressive policy scores from the sum of its progressive policy scores.