Malaysian Median Salary Rose To Nearly RM3,000, But Pay Still Varied Widely By Job, Education & State

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Malaysia's median monthly salaries and wages rose from RM2,793 in 2024 to RM2,940 in 2025, according to the Salaries & Wages Survey Report 2025

The report, based on a household survey conducted from January to December 2025, covers Malaysian citizens working as full-time paid employees in their principal jobs across the public and private sectors.

The number of Malaysian citizens receiving monthly salaries and wages also increased by 1.4% from 10.24 million in 2024 to 10.38 million in 2025.

Meanwhile, the mean monthly salary rose 4.1% from RM3,652 to RM3,803.

But the national figures only tell part of the story. Pay continued to vary considerably depending on factors such as age, education level, occupation, industry, and location.

Workers aged 40 to 44 had the highest median salary

Among different age groups, workers aged 40 to 44 recorded the highest median monthly salary in 2025 at RM3,826. They were followed by workers aged 45 to 49 at RM3,745 and those aged 35 to 39 at RM3,433. At the other end of the scale, workers aged 15 to 19 had the lowest median salary at RM1,776.

The largest share of salary recipients came from those aged 25 to 29, who accounted for 16.4% of all recipients. This was followed by workers aged 30 to 34 at 16.0%, those aged 35 to 39 at 15.7%, and those aged 40 to 44 at 14.1%.

Workers aged 50 to 54 recorded the highest mean monthly salary at RM4,783.

Degree holders earned more than twice the national median

Education remained strongly associated with higher earnings.

Workers with tertiary education recorded a median monthly salary of RM4,571 in 2025, up 10.7% from RM4,131 in 2024. By comparison, workers with secondary education had a median salary of RM2,227, while those with primary education had a median of RM1,754.

Workers with no formal education recorded a median monthly salary of RM1,642.

Looking specifically at qualifications, degree holders had the highest median salary at RM5,276, up from RM5,110 in 2024. Diploma holders recorded a median of RM3,779, while those with STPM or certificates had a median of RM2,775.

The mean monthly salary for degree holders was even higher at RM6,453.

Managers and professionals remained the highest-paid occupations

Managers recorded the highest median monthly salary among occupational groups at RM6,186. Professionals followed closely at RM6,124, while technicians and associate professionals recorded a median of RM3,852.

At the lower end, elementary occupations had a median monthly salary of RM1,758.

Managers also recorded the highest mean monthly salary at RM7,344, followed by professionals at RM6,747.

Mining workers had the highest median salary by industry

Among economic sectors, mining and quarrying recorded the highest median monthly salary at RM4,604. This was followed by services at RM3,043 and manufacturing at RM2,663.

Agriculture had the lowest median monthly salary at RM1,813.

Some individual industries recorded considerably higher figures.

Information and communication workers had a median monthly salary of RM4,723, while education recorded RM5,990, and human health and social work recorded RM4,976.

The highest mean salary by industry was recorded in mining and quarrying at RM6,175.

Kuala Lumpur median salary was RM3,938, below Putrajaya

There was also a significant difference between states.

Putrajaya recorded the highest median monthly salary at RM4,828, followed by Kuala Lumpur at RM3,938, and Selangor at RM3,547.

Penang was the fourth state or federal territory above the national median, with a median monthly salary of RM3,107.

The national median was RM2,940.

At the other end, Kelantan recorded the lowest median monthly salary at RM1,860, followed by Perlis at RM2,013, and Perak at RM2,173.

Interestingly, Labuan's median salary fell from RM2,931 in 2024 to RM2,688 in 2025, despite its mean salary increasing from RM3,812 to RM3,887.

Urban workers had a higher median than rural workers

The majority of salary recipients lived in urban areas, accounting for 85.1% of the total. Urban workers recorded a median monthly salary of RM3,022 in 2025, up from RM2,851 in 2024.

Rural workers recorded a much lower median of RM2,035, although this was a notable increase from RM1,698 in 2024. The mean monthly salary was RM3,932 for urban workers and RM3,061 for rural workers.

The report also showed differences in salaries by ethnicity

Chinese workers recorded the highest median monthly salary at RM3,324 in 2025, although this was slightly lower than the RM3,350 recorded in 2024.

Indian workers recorded the second-highest median at RM2,775, followed by Bumiputera workers at RM2,688. Workers categorised as Others recorded a median monthly salary of RM1,753.

The mean monthly salary for Chinese workers was RM4,284, followed by Indian workers at RM3,702, Bumiputera workers at RM3,666, and Others at RM2,539.

The national salary figure does not tell the whole story

Overall, the 2025 figures show that Malaysian salaries continued to rise, with the national median increasing by RM147 over the year. But the gap between different groups remained substantial.

A worker's median monthly salary ranged from RM1,642 for those with no formal education to RM5,276 for degree holders. By occupation, the median ranged from RM1,758 for elementary occupations to RM6,186 for managers.

And by state, the median ranged from RM1,860 in Kelantan to RM4,828 in Putrajaya.

The report therefore paints a labour market where wages are rising overall, but the amount workers earn remains closely tied to their qualifications, occupation, industry, and location.