Overview

Special Release: Time Spent on Unpaid Domestic and Care Work in Malaysia 2025, presenting official statistics on the time spent by the population aged 15 years and over on unpaid domestic and care work, based on the National Household Indicators Survey (NHIS) 2025. The findings form an important basis for policymaking on work-life balance, social development and gender equality.

• Overall, Malaysians spend an average of 5 hours 12 minutes daily on unpaid domestic and care work, highlighting the significant role of unpaid labour in sustaining households and communities.
• Insights reveal only a marginal difference in the time spent on unpaid work between urban and rural populations. Rural population spend 21.7 per cent (5 hours and 13 minutes) of their daily time on unpaid work as compared with 21.5 per cent (5 hours and 10 minutes) among urban population.
• By age group, individuals aged 45 to 54 years allocate the highest proportion at 23.8 per cent (5 hours and 43 minutes), followed by those  aged 25 to 44 years (23.3%; 5 hours and 35 minutes). In contrast, those aged 15 to 24 years spend the least (16.2%; 3 hours and 53 minutes).
• By citizenship, Malaysians spend an average of 21.8 per cent of their daily time on unpaid work as compared 19.5 per cent for non-citizens. By ethnicity, the Others category recorded the highest proportion (23.7%), followed by Malays (22.6%), while the Chinese recorded the lowest (20.5%).
• By disability status, persons without disabilities spend 21.7 per cent (5 hours and 12 minutes) daily as compared 12.5 per cent (2 hours and 59 minutes) among persons with disabilities, underscoring the importance of inclusive social support systems.
• From an international perspective, Malaysia records higher level of participation than the average among OECD countries. Women in Malaysia spend 25.5 per cent of their daily time on these activities (approximately 6 hours and 7 minutes) as compared around 17 per cent in OECD countries, while men spend 18.1 per cent compared with approximately 9 to 11 per cent internationally. This persistent gender gap shows that women continue to shoulder a larger share.

For interviews, press statement and clarification to the media, contact:
Baharudin Mohamad
Public Relation Officer
Email: baharudin[at]dosm.gov.my
Phone: 03 8090 4681

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