Study: M’sia Has 3rd Most Number of Public Libraries in Southeast Asia, Behind Vietnam & Thailand

Before the internet was as ubiquitous as it is today, members of the public had to visit their nearest public libraries just to find out more in-depth information about certain matters or subjects.

While public libraries have become less popular nowadays due to information being literally at the tip of our fingers, they remain an important facility for Malaysians as a knowledge centre and community hub.

With that being said, did you know that Malaysia has one of most number of public libraries in Southeast Asia?

Malaysia has the 3rd most number of public libraries in Southeast Asia

Source: Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia | Facebook

For illustration purposes

Well, according to data from OCLC, a global library non-profit organisation based in Ohio, USA, Malaysia has 1,392 public libraries nationwide, the 3rd most in Southeast Asia.

OCLC’s study, which was recently reshared by Seasia Stats, was based on data from 2021 and doesn’t include academic and other types of libraries.

Source: Time Out

For illustration purposes

According to the data, Vietnam has by far the most number of public libraries in the region with a whopping 6,691 public libraries, over 4,500 more than 2nd place Thailand which has 2,116.

At the opposite end of the list, Myanmar shockingly only has 1 public library, while Timor-Leste has 2.

Source: Adobe Stock

For illustration purposes

Check out the full list below:

1. Vietnam – 6,691
2. Thailand – 2,116
3. Malaysia – 1,392
4. The Philippines – 1,224
5. Cambodia – 1,100
6. Indonesia – 1,062
7. Laos – 41
8. Singapore – 23
9. Brunei – 9
10. Timor-Leste – 2
11. Myanmar – 1

Malaysia has 1 public library for every 24,209 people in the country

So, now that we know the number of public libraries in our country (well, at least as of 2021), we can also find out the ratio of the Malaysian population to the number of our public libraries.

The latest data by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) revealed that the Malaysian population has reached 33.7 million as of the end of 2023.

Hence, after some quick maths, there’s 1 public library in Malaysia for every 24,209 of the population. 

So, what do you guys think of the number of public libraries available in our country? What’s your favourite public library to visit? 

Do share with us in the comments!

Also read: Bangi Public Library Adds Giant “Perpustakaan” Sign After M’sians Condemned Its English Signage