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The Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) has revealed that only 10% of Malaysians earn more than RM9,200 a month
In the Employee Wages Statistics (Formal Sector) Report for Q2 2025, published today, 27 October, DOSM stated that those in the top 10% (90th percentile) earn 5.53 times more than the bottom 10% (10th percentile), who make RM1,664 or less per month.
The report, which covers Malaysian citizens in the formal sector, underscores the persistent wage gap between the highest and lowest earners.
The table below shows the monthly wages of formal employees by percentile from April 2024 to 2025:
The median monthly wage for Malaysian formal employees rose 4.3% year-on-year to RM2,864 in June 2025, reflecting a stronger labour market with formal employment reaching 6.97 million
The percentage of formal employees earning below RM1,700 showed a positive trend, declining sharply from 12.2 percentage points to 10.4 percentage points in June 2025.
"The median monthly wages across all states recorded positive year-on-year growth in the second quarter of 2025.
"Three states exceeded the national median monthly wage of RM2,864, with Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur registering the highest median monthly wage at RM4,064, followed by Selangor at RM3,145 and Pulau Pinang at RM2,927.
"Meanwhile, the lowest median monthly wages were recorded in Kelantan at RM1,764, followed by Perlis at RM1,800, as well as Sabah and Kedah, during the same period," read a summary of the report.
The table below shows the monthly wages by state from April 2024 to 2025:
The full report can be found here.
