Malaysia Internet Penetration - DIGITAL MEDIA ACROSS ASIA
Malaysia Internet Penetration
| | Looking outward: international comparison 1. Internet users in ASEAN countries 2. Internet users in other measured countries Looking inward: national statistics on internet users 1. Growth 2. Age group 3. Gender 4. Education level 5. Income level 6. Location 7. Hours spent online 8. Usage of internet |
More and more Malaysians are embracing the internet technology into their lives. From the very low penetration rate of 15% in 2000, the number rose exponentially to 62.8% by the end of 2008. How does this number compare to other countries? Is internet in Malaysia dominated solely by the young and educated? How much time do Malaysian users spend on the internet? And what do they do online?
On this page, you will find the answers to these questions and many more, illustrated with facts and figures from the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).
| Looking Outward: International Comparison | |
| 1) Internet users in ASEAN countries (per 100 inhabitants) | |
 | Among ASEAN Countries, Malaysia is one of the most promient countries as it ranks as number 2 in terms of internet penetration, with 57.80 of every 100 Malaysians being internet users. It is positioned just behind Singapore. Trailing behind at number 3 is neighboring country Brunei Darussalam, followed by Thailand, Vietnam, Phillippines, Indonesia, Lao P.D.R., Cambodia, and lastly Myanmar. The latest comparison data available is extracted from the first quarter of 2008. However, it is important to note that by the end of 2008, internet penetration in Malaysia had reached 62.8%. |
| 2) Internet users in other measured countries (per 100 inhabitants) | |
 | Although Malaysia is positioned at number 2 among ASEAN Countries, on a broader scope, she is still behind countries such as Japan, South Korea, USA, UK, and Taiwan. Internet penetration rate in Japan stood at 73.46%, far ahead of Malaysia. However, compared to the world penetration rate of 22.04%,However, it is noteworthy that Malaysia's penetration rate is well above the average. |
| Looking Inward: National Statistic on Internet Users | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1) Growth (per 100 inhabitants) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| By the end of 2008, 62.8% of Malaysians were internet users, up from only 15% in 2000. This number is expected to further increase in the years to come as the High Speed Broadband project by the Malaysian government takes off in 2009. The project will end the nationwide rant about slow internet connection. Also, considering the high penetration rate, it is astonishing that Malaysian companies spend only 0.6% on internet advertising. Why is this so? The ad spending paradox is going on here. You can also find more about slow internet speed and the ad spending paradox in the Internet Implication page. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2) Age group (per 100 household users) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 There was a substantial hike in numbers from the below 15 years old age group to the 15-19 age bracket. It seems that Malaysian teenagers mostly start using internet in upper secondary school (ninth year of formal education). The next age group seems to retain the interest to use internet. This probably results from the adoption of internet technology by Malaysian universities and other academic institutions. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3) Gender (per 100 household users) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | The distribution of internet users across gender are somewhat even. 51.9% of Malaysian household internet users are male, while 48.1% of Malaysian household internet users are female. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4) Education level (per 100 household users) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | 35.1% of household internet users are degree holders. This is the largest group, followed by those with secondary school as their highest education (31.5%), and diploma holders (30.9%). Indeed, it seems that Malaysians pick up their interest in internet usage when they started going through secondary education. This explains the small percentage of users with primary education as their highest qualification (1.3%), and the equally small percentage of users with no education (1.3%). As the nation and its education system gradually develops, numbers of internet users are expected to rise. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5) Income level (per 100 household users) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | Those in the income bracket of RM1000 - 3000 comprise the largest group of internet users. 46.1% of those using internet earns RM1000 - 3000 per year. The middle-income group make the bulk of internet users in Malaysia. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6) Location (per 100 household users) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
  | In terms of penetration in urban/rural area, 85.30% of users live in the urban area, while the rest, 14.7% live in the rural area. This is due to better infrastructures and facilities to support online platforms in urban areas. The highest internet penetration rate in a city can be found in Klang Valley (Kuala Lumpur). It stood at 13.0% by the end of 2008. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7) Hours spent online (per 100 household users) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | 28% Malaysian internet users use internet for less than 4 hours per week, while 23.2% use internet for 4-8 hours per week. 193% use internet for 8-15 hours per week. The number seems to drop for users who are using the internet for 15-22 hours, and 22-28 hours. It rose again to 16% for those who use internet for 28 hours and above. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8) Usage of Internet (per 100 household users) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | As of 2008, 94.4% of Malaysian internet users primarily use the internet for obtaining information, while 84.70% use internet for communication purposes by text (email, chat). 64.5% of internet users in Malaysia use the internet for education purposes. From this, it can be deduced that the educational bodies in Malaysia have embra | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
