What share of schools in Sarawak are primary schools?

Primary schools make up 87% of the government schools in Sarawak (1,266 of 1,460); the national share is 76%. There is one government secondary school for every 6.5 primary schools.

Education in Sarawak, Malaysia: official figures

Sarawak had 1,460 government primary and secondary schools in mid-2025 according to the Ministry of Education, 14.3% of the 10,238 in Malaysia; they are made up of 1,266 primary and 194 secondary schools. Private and international schools are not included.

Government schools

1,460

2025

How many primary and secondary schools are there in Sarawak?

1,266 government primary schools operated in Sarawak in mid-2025, 16.3% of the 7,778 in Malaysia, and 194 government secondary schools, 7.9% of the 2,460 in Malaysia.

Source: Ministry of Education Malaysia · saved copy

Does Sarawak have enough schools?

There are 27.2 government schools for every 10,000 residents aged 5 to 19 in Sarawak (2025), the highest among the 16 areas; about 368 residents of that age for each school. The figure for Malaysia is 13.0 schools per 10,000.

Source: Ministry of Education Malaysia · saved copy

Is the number of schools in Sarawak changing?

The number of government primary and secondary schools in Sarawak rose from 1,457 in 2018 to 1,460 in mid-2025 (+3); Malaysia moved from 10,207 to 10,238.

Source: Ministry of Education Malaysia · saved copy

What universities and colleges are there in Sarawak?

Sarawak has 1 public university in 2025, out of 187 public higher education institutions (universities, polytechnics, community colleges and teacher training institutes) in Malaysia.

Source: Ministry of Education Malaysia · saved copy

How Sarawak compares with other states

Government primary and secondary schools, mid-2025 (2025)

Sarawak ranks 1 of 16, highest first. Counts government primary (sekolah rendah kerajaan) and secondary (sekolah menengah kerajaan) schools; private and international schools are not included.

Rank	Region	Government primary and secondary schools, mid-2025
1	Sarawak	1,460
2	Sabah	1,298
3	Johor	1,195
4	Perak	1,105
5	Selangor	945
6	Kedah	752
7	Pahang	740

Source: Ministry of Education Malaysia · saved copy

Government schools per 10,000 residents aged 5 to 19, mid-2025 (2025)

Sarawak ranks 1 of 16, highest first. Schools divided by the 2025 mid-year estimate of residents aged 5 to 19 (DOSM population estimate).

Rank	Region	Government schools per 10,000 residents aged 5 to 19, mid-2025
1	Sarawak	27.2
2	Perak	19.0
3	Perlis	17.8
4	Pahang	17.5
5	Negeri Sembilan	15.9
6	Terengganu	15.4
7	Kedah	14.0

Source: Ministry of Education Malaysia · saved copy

Residents aged 5 to 19 for each government school, 2025 (2025)

Sarawak ranks 16 of 16, highest first. A rough measure of how many young residents each school serves; includes children who attend private schools.

Rank	Region	Residents aged 5 to 19 for each government school, 2025
10	Kedah	715
11	Terengganu	650
12	Negeri Sembilan	630
13	Pahang	572
14	Perlis	562
15	Perak	526
16	Sarawak	368

Source: Ministry of Education Malaysia · saved copy

Public higher education institutions, 2025 (2025)

Sarawak ranks 14 of 16, highest first. Public universities (IPTA), polytechnics, community colleges and teacher training institutes.

Rank	Region	Public higher education institutions, 2025
10	Perak	1
11	Perlis	1
12	Penang	1
13	Sabah	1
14	Sarawak	1
15	Labuan	0
16	Putrajaya	0

Source: Ministry of Education Malaysia · saved copy

More on Sarawak: overview · economy and jobs · health · poverty and living standards · Malaysia

Sources

Ministry of Education Malaysia: Public Education Institutions by District: government primary and secondary schools (EMIS) and public higher education institutions, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 22a8ac4b1fa4…)

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