Kuala lumpur: Malaysia's Gender Gap Index (MGGI) increased to 0.708 in 2024, a rise from 0.705 in 2023, primarily driven by advancements in educational attainment and health and survival, alongside modest improvement in economic participation and opportunity.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin highlighted that the economic participation sub-index showed growth in 2024, with women's labour force participation reaching 56.5 per cent, up from 56.2 per cent in the previous year. Women's mean monthly salaries and wages also rose to RM3,499 from RM3,311.
Dr Mohd Uzir noted that education remained the strongest dimension for women, with female enrolment rates surpassing those of males at primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. In 2024, female gross enrolment rates were 100.3 per cent in primary, 95.7 per cent in secondary, and 56.4 per cent in tertiary education, all higher than male figures.
The health and survival sub-index improved as well, scoring 0.962, with female life expectancy at birth increasing to 77.6 years in 2024 from 65.6 years in 1970. Additionally, the female-to-male birth ratio rose to 0.940, with 200,999 female births compared to 213,919 male births.
Despite these gains, Dr Mohd Uzir pointed out that political empowerment remains a significant challenge, with the score stagnant at 0.096 in 2024. Women held 16.1 per cent of ministerial roles, and their representation in the Dewan Rakyat was 13.5 per cent, illustrating ongoing disparities in political leadership.
Regionally, Putrajaya led with the highest MGGI score of 0.774 in 2024, followed by Kuala Lumpur at 0.773 and Labuan at 0.750. Other states exceeding the national score of 0.708 included Kelantan (0.729), Selangor (0.725), Negeri Sembilan (0.724), Perlis and Perak (0.715), and Kedah (0.713).
For the first time, DOSM released two separate publications on women's development: the Malaysia Gender Gap Index (MGGI) 2025 report, assessing gender gaps across four sub-indices, and the Statistics on Women Empowerment, Malaysia 2025 report, focusing on women's achievements and socio-economic status.
The Statistics on Women Empowerment report indicates women constitute 47.5 per cent, or 16.2 million, of Malaysia's total population of 34.1 million in 2024. That year saw 200,999 baby girls born out of 414,918 live births, with the total fertility rate remaining low at 1.6 children per woman.
Additionally, DOSM reaffirmed Malaysia's commitment to advancing gender equality and strengthening women's rights, aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Thirteenth Malaysia Plan, which aims to raise the female labour force participation rate to 60 per cent. The department emphasized the importance of reliable gender-disaggregated data to guide effective, inclusive policymaking.
The full reports can be accessed for free on the DOSM portal (www.dosm.gov.my).