Ever wondered how your income compares to others your age? The Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) has released its Formal Sector Employee Wages Report for the first quarter of 2025, revealing detailed breakdowns of how much Malaysians earn based on age, gender, ethnicity, sector and state.
Here’s what the data says.
Malaysians earn more as they grow older — until a certain point
In 2025, median wages in the formal sector generally increase with age, peaking between 45 to 49 years old at RM4,000 a month.
After that, income starts to decline as employees approach retirement age.
The youngest group — those under 20 — earned a median monthly wage of RM1,700, the lowest among all age brackets.
However, they also saw the highest wage growth, with a 13.3% increase from the previous year.
Here’s the median wage by age group for March 2025:
- < 20 years – RM1,700
- 20–24 years – RM2,045
- 25–29 years – RM2,900
- 30–34 years – RM3,200
- 35–39 years – RM3,627
- 40–44 years – RM3,964
- 45–49 years – RM4,000
- 50–54 years – RM3,845
- 55–59 years – RM3,627
- 60–64 years – RM3,245
- > 64 years – RM2,645
Men still earn more than women
The report shows a small gender pay gap.
In March 2025:
- Men earned a median salary of RM3,000
- Women earned slightly less at RM2,982
Although the difference is narrow, men consistently earned more across all age groups.
Chinese workers earned the highest wages
Wage differences were also observed across ethnic groups:
- Chinese workers: RM4,482
- Indian workers: RM2,900
- Bumiputera workers: RM2,545
Chinese employees also recorded the highest wage growth among ethnic groups with a 6.7% year-on-year increase.
Which sectors pay the most?
The mining and quarrying industry offered the highest median salary at RM8,800 in March 2025. Other high-paying industries include:
- Finance and insurance – RM7,700
- Information and communication – RM6,100
- Utilities – RM4,482
- Construction – RM3,000
- Manufacturing – RM2,809
On the other end, the agriculture sector had the lowest wages, at just RM2,200 per month despite a 10% wage increase year-on-year.
In the hospitality industry, which includes food, beverage, and accommodation services, workers earned only RM2,045, making it the lowest-paying subsector within services.
Which states pay the most?
When it comes to location, W.P. Kuala Lumpur led the way with the highest median monthly wage in the country at RM4,445. This is followed by:
- Selangor – RM3,300
- Pulau Pinang – RM3,000 (on par with the national median)
- Johor – RM2,745
The states with the lowest wages were:
- Perlis – RM1,800
- Kelantan – RM1,800
- Sabah – RM2,000
Meanwhile, Selangor had the highest number of formal workers (1.91 million), followed by W.P. Kuala Lumpur (1.4 million) and Johor (0.73 million).
Overall wage growth is steady
Nationwide, DOSM noted that the median wage in March 2025 was RM3,000, marking a 5.5% increase from RM2,844 in March 2024.
The rise was attributed to consistent economic activity and a slight improvement in employment rates.
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